advent

American  

[ad-vent] / ˈæd vɛnt /

noun

1. a coming into place, view, or being; arrival.

   the advent of the holiday season.

   Synonyms:

   start, commencement, beginning, onset

2. Usually Advent the coming of Christ into the world.

3. Advent, the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world.

4. Usually Advent Second Coming.

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Advent ¹ British  

/ -vənt, ˈædvɛnt /

noun

1. Christianity the season including the four Sundays preceding Christmas or (in Eastern Orthodox churches) the forty days preceding Christmas

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advent ² British  

/ ˈædvɛnt, -vənt /

noun

1. an arrival or coming, esp one which is awaited

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Advent Cultural  

1. The coming of Jesus, either in the Incarnation of biblical times or in the Second Coming at the end of the world. Also, a time observed in many Christian churches in December to prepare for Christmas.

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Usage

What is Advent season? Advent is the season before Christmas. In many branches of Christianity, Advent consists of the period starting four Sundays before Christmas.Among Christians, Advent is typically considered a season of preparation for the celebration of Christmas that also commemorates the coming of Jesus. The word Advent can also refer to the coming of Jesus into the world (it can also refer to what’s known as Jesus’s Second Coming).Religious rituals for Advent include the lighting of candles on an Advent wreath and the decoration of Jesse trees.Although Christmas is widely celebrated in both religious and secular (nonreligious) ways, Advent is primarily a religious observance. However, Advent calendars are a popular way of marking the days until Christmas even for those who do not celebrate it in religious ways.The similar season observed in anticipation of Easter is known as Lent.

Etymology

Origin of advent

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Latin adventus “arrival, approach,” equivalent to ad- “toward” + ven- (stem of venīre “to come”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; ad-

Example Sentences

It’s the result of several factors, including the general aging of the U.S. population and a sharp increase in pharmaceutical costs, due in part to the advent of high-priced specialty prescription drugs.

From Los Angeles Times

"That was like the advent of YouTube, you know."

From BBC

The future of movies is in danger not because of the advent of streaming, but because of the impending giant of artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Retail investors’ enthusiasm for self-directed trading has been on the rise for decades, long before the advent of social media.

From MarketWatch

Now, with the advent of powerful remote or autonomous devices, the people deploying them don’t need to be seasoned professionals.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arrival
• coming
• onset