|ägˌnu̇sˈdāˌē, -_nəs-, |änˌyüs-, -yu̇s-; sometimes, when not sung, -ˈdā; |agnəsˈdēˌī noun
Usage: usually capitalized A&D
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin, lamb of God, translation of Greek Amnos tou Theou
1. : an image of a lamb, often with a halo and bearing a banner or a cross, symbolizing Jesus Christ
2. Roman Catholicism
a. : a small cloth-covered disk of wax stamped with the figure a lamb, blessed by the pope, and carried or worn through devotion
b. : a prayer in the ordinary of the mass beginning with the words “Angus Dei”
3. Anglicanism : a liturgical prayer or anthem beginning “O Lamb of God”
[s]agnusdei.jpg[/s] [
Agnus Dei
]