agape

¹

[uh-geyp, uh-gap]

adverb

1. with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness.

   We stood there agape at the splendor.

2. wide open.

   his mouth agape.

agape

²

[ah-gah-pey, ah-guh-pey, ag-uh-]

noun

plural

agapae, agapai 

1. the love of God or Christ for humankind.

2. the love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind.

3. unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love.

4. love feast.

Agape

¹

/ ˈæɡəpɪ /

noun

1. Christian love, esp as contrasted with erotic love; charity

2. a communal meal in the early Church taken in commemoration of the Last Supper; love feast

agape

²

/ əˈɡeɪp /

adjective

1. (esp of the mouth) wide open

2. very surprised, expectant, or eager, esp as indicated by a wide open mouth

Word History and Origins

Origin of Agape¹

First recorded in 1660–70; a- ¹ + gape

Origin of Agape²

First recorded in 1600–10, agape is from the Greek word agápē “love”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Agape¹

C17: Greek agapē love

Origin of Agape²

C17: _a- ² + _gape

Example Sentences

“I could sense the agape right off the page,” said Herr, using the Greek term for the selfless love preached by Jesus, to explain why he wanted in.

From Los Angeles Times

The arrest Saturday left passengers agape.

From Los Angeles Times

One woman, then a White House intern, had lunch with Halperin, and as media journalist Paul Farhi reported in the Washington Post, “as they stood outside the restaurant afterward, Halperin suddenly threw her up against the plate-glass facade and pinned her arms against it. Then he lunged at her, mouth agape, ‘like someone who was going to eat you.’

From Slate

Nghia spends the film with his mouth agape and his eyes wet and bleary behind thick prescription glasses.

From Los Angeles Times

The way the script is written is meant to invite the viewer into the story through an experience of seeing, understanding and feeling, penetrating the consciousness of each character, using an expansive visual and sonic language, and strong narrative beats to synergize the other pillar element — Agape, or as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described it, divine love operating in the human heart.

From Los Angeles Times