*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of agape

From a- + gape. First known use by John Milton in Paradise Lost (1667).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adv

In a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention. · Open wide.

adj

In a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention; as with mouth hanging open. · Wide open.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From a- + gape. First known use by John Milton in Paradise Lost (1667).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "etymid",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "from open-gap-referent origins"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "prefix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "a",
        "3": "gape"
      },
      "expansion": "a- + gape"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "gape",
      "gape#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "In a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention.",
        "Open wide."
      ],
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        "In a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention; as with mouth hanging open.",
        "Wide open."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The love of God for mankind, or the benevolent love of Christians for others. · Spiritual, altruistic, beneficial love which wills good for others. · A love feast, especially one held in the early Christian Church in connection with the Eucharist.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ἀγάπη"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Love-feast",
      "love feast"
    ],
    [
      "ἀγάπη",
      "ἀγάπη#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The love of God for mankind, or the benevolent love of Christians for others.",
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      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for agape →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWdhcGU