# messiah

> English word · Noun · IPA /məˈsaɪ.ə/ · frequency rank #13,958

## Definitions
1. The one who is ordained by God to lead the people of Israel, believed by Christians and Muslims to be Jesus Christ.
2. A similar religious figure or awaited divine ruler, such as the Islamic Mahdi.
3. An extremely powerful or revered figure.

## Etymology
From Middle English Messyas, Messy, Messie, from Latin Messīās, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek Μεσσίας (Messías), from Aramaic ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ (məšīḥā), from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (māšîaḥ, “anointed”). Doublet of Masih and Moshiach.

## Easily confused with
- **Messing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/messiah-vs-messing)
- **Messina** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/messiah-vs-messina)
- **Messier** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/messiah-vs-messier)
- **Messi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/messi-vs-messiah)

## Common misspellings (8)
`emssiah`, `mesiah`, `mesisah`, `messaih`, `messiahh`, `messiha`, `mmessiah`, `msesiah`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/messiah