amen

See also: Appendix:Variations of "amen"

Languages (30)

English

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English

"Amen" in an 1845 translation of the Sermon on the Mount by Owen Jones

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (āmḗn)bor.

Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn)bor.

Ecclesiastical Latin āmēnder.

Old English āmen

Middle English amen

English amen

Inherited from Middle English amen, from Old English āmen, from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, verily”) (cognate with Arabic آمِينَ (ʔāmīna), Classical Syriac ܐܡܝܢ (ʾāmên)).

In Old English, it was used only at the end of the Gospels; elsewhere, it was translated as sōþlīċe! (“truly, indeed!”), swā hit is (“so it is”), and sīe! (“[so] be it!”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /(ˌ)ɑːˈmɛn/, (uncommon, chiefly for strong agreement) /(ˌ)eɪˈmɛn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /(ˌ)ɑːˈmɛn/, /(ˌ)eɪˈmɛn/, /ˈeɪmɛn/

• Audio (Southern England); /ɑː-/:

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England); /eɪ-/:

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (Ashkenazi):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn, -eɪmɛn

Both pronunciations are used, sometimes even by the same speaker depending on the context.

Interjection

amen

1. At the end of a religious prayer: so be it.
   • 1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, “At the Communion”, in The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […] Edowardi Whitchurche […], →OCLC, folio lxxii, recto:

     As it was in the beginning, is nowe, and euerſhall be: worlde without ende. Amen.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Nehemiah 5:13, column 1:

     Alſo I ſhooke my lap, and ſaid, So God ſhake out euery man from his houſe, and from his labour, that performeth not this promiſe, euen thus be he ſhaken out, and emptied. And all the Congregation ſaid, Amen, and praiſed the Lord. And the people did according to this promiſe.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 72:18–19, column 1:

     Bleſſed be the Lord God, the God of Iſrael, who only doth wonderous things. And bleſſed be his glorious name for euer, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.

   • 1662, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, “Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea”, in The Book of Common-Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, […], London: […] John Bill, and Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC, column 2:

     For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

   • 1962, Omar Ali Saifuddien III, Proclamation of Emergency‎^[1], archived from the original on 12 November 2025, page 14:

     May GOD, to Whom be praise and whose name be exalted, the King of Kings, vouchsafe His grace and may the Prophet Muhammed (on whom be the benediction and peace of GOD) grant His Blessings to this Proclamation. Amen! O Lord of the Universe!

2. (colloquial) Used to indicate emphatic agreement.
   • 1999 May, Matt Groening, “Hell Is Other Robots”, in Futurama, season 1, episode 9:

     Fry: Bender's stupid religion is driving me nuts! / Leela: Amen!

Derived terms

• amen corner
• amen curler
• and the church says amen
• awoman
• yes and amen

Descendants

• → Cherokee: ᎡᎺᏅ (emenv)
• → Chuukese: amen
• → Japanese: アーメン (āmen)
• → Yoruba: amí

Translations

so be it

• Afrikaans: amen
• Albanian: amin (sq)
• Amharic: አሜን (ʾämen)
• Arabic: آمِينَ (ar) (ʔāmīna)
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܐܡܝܢ (ʾāmên)

  Jewish Aramaic: אָמֵן (ʾāmēn)

• Armenian: ամեն (hy) (amen)
• Azerbaijani: amin
• Belarusian: амі́н (amín)
• Bulgarian: ами́н (bg) (amín)
• Catalan: amén (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎡᎺᏅ (emenv)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 阿們 / 阿们 (aa³ mun⁴), 亞孟 / 亚孟 (aa³ maang⁶), 誠心所願 / 诚心所愿 (sing⁴ sam¹ so² jyun⁶)

  Hakka: 阿愐 (â-mén, a-mén)

  Hokkien: a-men, 心所願 / 心所愿 (sim-só͘-goān), 亞孟 / 亚孟 (a-bēng, à-bēng)

  Mandarin: 阿門 / 阿门 (zh) (āmén), 阿們 / 阿们 (zh) (āmén), 亞孟 / 亚孟 (yàmèng)

• Coptic: ⲁⲙⲏⲛ (amēn)
• Czech: amen (cs)
• Danish: amen (da)
• Dutch: amen (nl)
• Esperanto: amen
• Estonian: aamen (et)
• Farefare: amina
• Faroese: amen, ámmin
• Finnish: aamen (fi)
• French: amen (fr)
• Ge'ez: አሜን (ʾämen)
• Georgian: ამინ (ka) (amin)
• German: amen (de)
• Greek: αμήν (el) (amín)

  Ancient Greek: ἀμήν (amḗn)

• Gujarati: (Christianity) આમેન (āmen), (Hinduism) તથાસ્તુ (tathāstu), (Islam) આમીન (āmīn)
• Hausa: amin
• Hebrew: אָמֵן (he) (amén)
• Hindi: तथास्तु (hi) (tathāstu)
• Hungarian: ámen (hu)
• Icelandic: amen
• Indonesian: amin (id)
• Irish: áiméan
• Italian: amen (it), così sia (it)
• Japanese: アーメン (ja) (āmen)
• Kapampangan: yanasa, amen
• Kazakh: әумин (äwmiyn)
• Komi:

  Old Komi: 𐍐𐍜𐍙𐍝 (amjn)

• Konkani: आमेन (āmen), ಆಮೆನ್ (āmen)
• Korean: 아멘 (amen)
• Kosraean: emacn
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: amîn (ku)

• Latin: āmēn (la)
• Latvian: āmen
• Lithuanian: amen
• Macedonian: амин (amin)
• Malay: amin
• Māori: āmine, āmene
• Middle English: zuo by hit
• Navajo: tʼáá ákótʼée doo
• Norwegian: amen (no)
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: аминь (aminĭ)

  Glagolitic: ⰰⰿⰻⱀⱐ (aminĭ)

• Parthian: 𐭀𐭌𐭉𐭍 (ʾmyn /⁠āmēn⁠/)
• Persian: آمین (fa) (âmin)
• Polabian: amen
• Polish: amen (pl)
• Portuguese: amém (pt)
• Romanian: amin (ro)
• Russian: ами́нь (ru) (amínʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: amen
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: амен

  Latin: amen (sh)

• Slovak: amen
• Slovene: amen (sl)
• Spanish: amén (es)
• Swahili: amina (sw)
• Swedish: amen (sv)
• Tagalog: amen, siya nawa (archaic)
• Tajik: омин (omin)
• Thai: อามิน, เอเมน, อาเมน
• Tok Pisin: tru
• Tonsawang: ulit
• Turkish: amin (tr)
• Ukrainian: амі́нь (uk) (amínʹ)
• Urdu: آمین (ur) (āmīn)
• Uyghur: ئامىن (amin)
• Uzbek: omin (uz)
• Veps: aminʹ
• Vietnamese: a men (vi) (亞綿)
• Wolaytta: amin"i
• Yiddish: אָמן (omeyn)
• Yoruba: àmí, ààmí, àmín

expression of strong agreement

• Arabic: آمْيْن (ar) (ʔāmyn)
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܐܡܝܢ (ʾāmên)

  Jewish Aramaic: אָמֵן (ʾāmēn)

• Armenian: ամեն (hy) (amen)
• Catalan: amén (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 阿門 / 阿门 (zh) (āmén)

• Dutch: amen (nl), amen en uit (nl)
• Esperanto: amen
• Finnish: aamen (fi)
• French: amen (fr)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌼𐌴𐌽 (amēn)
• Greek: αμήν (el) (amín)

  Ancient Greek: ἀμήν (amḗn)

• Hebrew: אָמֵן (he) (amén)
• Hindi: तथास्तु (hi) (tathāstu)
• Irish: áiméan
• Japanese: 南無三 (ja) (なむさん, namusan), アーメン (ja) (āmen)
• Kapampangan: amen
• Kazakh: әумин (äwmiyn)
• Korean: 아멘 (amen)
• Macedonian: амин (amin)
• Maranao: amin
• Polish: amen (pl)
• Portuguese: amém (pt)
• Spanish: amén (es)
• Swedish: amen (sv)
• Tausug: amin
• Telugu: తథాస్తు (te) (tathāstu)
• Turkish: amin (tr)
• Volapük: jenosöd
• Yakan: amin
• Yiddish: אָמן (omeyn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} amen (nl)
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} אמן (he) (’amîn)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} amen
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} amîn (ku)

• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} amin (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} amin (sh)

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} амин

  Latin: ^{(please verify)} amin (sh) (both scripts-variant used in Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} amin (tr)

Adverb

amen (not comparable)

1. (biblical) Certainly; verily.
   • 1582, English College of Rheims, transl., The New Testament of Jesus Christ‎^[2], John 3:5, page 222:

     Iesvs anſvvered, Amen, Amen I ſay to thee, Vnles a man be borne againe of vvater and the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God.

Translations

truly, verily

• Arabic: آمِين (ar) (ʔāmīn)
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܐܡܝܢ (ʾāmên)

  Jewish Aramaic: אָמֵן (ʾāmēn)

• Armenian: ամեն (hy) (amen)
• Bulgarian: амин (bg) (amin)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 阿們 / 阿们 (aa³ mun⁴), 亞孟 / 亚孟 (aa³ maang⁶), 誠心所願 / 诚心所愿 (sing⁴ sam¹ so² jyun⁶)

  Hakka: 阿愐 (â-mén, a-mén)

  Hokkien: a-men, 心所願 / 心所愿 (sim-só͘-goān), 亞孟 / 亚孟 (a-bēng, à-bēng)

  Mandarin: 阿門 / 阿门 (zh) (āmén), 阿們 / 阿们 (zh) (āmén), 亞孟 / 亚孟 (yàmèng)

• Czech: amen (cs)
• Dutch: amen (nl)
• Finnish: totisesti (fi)
• French: amen (fr)
• German: amen (de)
• Greek: αμήν (el) (amín)
• Indonesian: amin (id)
• Italian: amen (it)
• Japanese: アーメン (ja) (āmen)
• Kapampangan: yanasa, amen
• Kazakh: әумин (äwmiyn)
• Korean: 아멘 (amen)
• Macedonian: амин (amin)
• Malay: amin
• Polish: amen (pl)
• Portuguese: amém (pt)
• Russian: ами́нь (ru) (amínʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: amen
• Tok Pisin: tru
• Vietnamese: a men (vi)

Noun

amen (plural amens)

1. An instance of saying ‘amen’.
   • 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     The amens of the dusty clerk appear, like Macbeth’s, to stick in his throat a little; but Captain Cuttle helps him out, […]

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 12:

     [H]is `Amens' were ejected at the pulpit with the severity of a reprimand.

   • 2006, Evault Boswell, The Iron Mountain Baby:

     A chorus of amens rang out across the audience.

Translations

instance of saying amen

• Farefare: amina
• Moore: ãmina
• Portuguese: amém (pt) m
• Slovincian: omen m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: amen, beaming (nl)
• French: amen (fr) m
• Persian: آمین (fa)

Verb

amen (third-person singular simple present amens, present participle amening, simple past and past participle amened)

1. (intransitive) To say amen.
   • 1942, Emily Carr, “Sunday”, in The Book of Small, Toronto, Ont.: Oxford University Press, →OCLC:

     The moment Dr. Reid amened, we rushed straight out of the church off home.

   • 2015, T. M. Young, Much Given, Much Required, page xxx:

     Most of the church amened and applauded.

   • 2015, Jewelle Francis, Manifest Destiny:

     She must be thinking Reverend Hopkins is talking directly to her, because she starts amening and shouting real loud when he gets to the part in Proverbs […]

2. (transitive) To say amen to; to ratify solemnly.
   • 1984 August 11, Gail Ann Williams, “Convention Views: On The Street, In The Hall”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 5, page 3:

     spending the first half of the rally amening any mention of God or Reagan

Translations

say amen

• Arabic: أَمَّنَ (ʔammana)
• Kapampangan: pamanamin, mag-amen, pag-amen
• Macedonian: аминува (aminuva)
• Portuguese: dizer amém, dar amém (literally “to give amen”)

Anagrams

• -mane, -nema, Eman, Enma, MEAN, MENA, Mena, NAmE, NEMA, NMEA, mane, mean, mnae, name, namé, neam, ñame

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [ˈa.mən]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈa.men]

Verb

amen

1. third-person plural present indicative of amar

Cebuano

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (āmḗn)bor.

Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn)bor.

Ecclesiastical Latin āmēnder.

Spanish aménbor.

Cebuano amen

Borrowed from Spanish amén, from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, borrowed from Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (āmḗn).

The gesture evolved from the custom of kissing the ecclesiastical ring of Catholic clergymen.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧men

Interjection

amen

1. amen, so be it (at the end of a religious prayer)
2. amen; an expression of strong agreement

Verb

amen

1. to touch one's forehead to the back of an older person's hand as a gesture of respect
   • 2018 — Pescante, Rudy L., Ang Gidangatan sa Guwapo Anib 3 (24 January), Bisaya, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation

     "Ma, nagmabdos gyod si Milagros," maoy iyang gisugat pagsugilon niini human siya makaamen sa usang kamot sa inahan. "Puwerteng sukoa sa iyang mga ginikanan nga didto gyod sa miaging Lunes sa eskuylahan. Duna kuno unyay mahitabo kanako...

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. to hold out one's hand to someone, often a younger person, in order for them to touch it to their foreheads

Chungli Ao

Etymology 1

From Proto-Central Naga *hmən, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *sV-min.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a˧.mɯn˧/, [a˧.mɯn˧]

Verb

amen

1. to be ripe
2. to ripen

Inflection

Inflection of amen (Chungli)

		Affirmative	Negative
Past	Simple	amen	mamen
	Perfect	menogo	memenogo
Present	Simple	amener	mamener
	Progressive	mendar mendagi	memendar memendagi
Future/infinitive		amentsü	mamentsü
Imperative		menang	tamen
Present participle		mena	memeni
Conditional		menra menrabang	memenra memenrabang

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a˥.mɯn˩/, [a˥.mɯn˩]

Verb

amen

1. to sit

Inflection

Inflection of amen (Chungli)

		Affirmative	Negative
Past	Simple	amen	mamen
	Perfect	menogo	memenogo
Present	Simple	amener	mamener
	Progressive	mendar mendagi	memendar memendagi
Future/infinitive		amentsü	mamentsü
Imperative		menang	tamen
Present participle		mena	memeni
Conditional		menra menrabang	memenra memenrabang

Further reading

• (to ripen):
  • Bruhn, Daniel Wayne (2014), A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga‎^[3], Berkeley: University of California, page 229
  • Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave (1985), Ao-English-Hindi Dictionary, Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, page 17
• (to sit):
  • Bruhn, Daniel Wayne (2014), A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga‎^[4], Berkeley: University of California, page 78
  • Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, page 160

Chuukese

Etymology

Borrowed from English amen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈmɛn/, /aˈbɛn/

Interjection

amen

1. amen

Dutch

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Dutch amen, from Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אמן (amén, “certainly, truly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaː.mə(n)/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: amen
• Rhymes: -aːmən

Interjection

amen

1. amen, so be it (at the end of a religious prayer)
2. amen; an expression of strong agreement

Noun

amen n (plural amens, diminutive amentje n)

1. amen

Derived terms

• beamen

Descendants

• Negerhollands: amen
• →? Sranan Tongo: amen

Esperanto

Etymology

Derived from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈamen/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -amen
• Syllabification: a‧men

Interjection

amen

1. amen

Further reading

• “amen”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “amen”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.mɛn/

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Homophones: amène, amènent, amènes

Interjection

amen

1. amen

Noun

amen m (plural amens)

1. amen

Further reading

• “amen”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• mena

Galician

Verb

amen

1. inflection of amar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Hebrew אמן.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːmən/, [ˈʔaː.mən], [-mn̩], [-mm̩]
• IPA^(key): /ˈaːmɛn/ (less common)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Homophones: ahmen, Amen (general), armen, Armen (some speakers)

Interjection

amen

1. amen

Derived terms

• Amen
• ja und amen sagen

Gothic

Romanization

amēn

1. romanization of 𐌰𐌼𐌴𐌽

Icelandic

Etymology

Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn (“so be it”).

Interjection

amen

1. at the end of prayers: so be it

   Í guðanna bænum, amen.

   For God's sake, amen.

Adverb

amen

1. at the end of creed or in Biblical translations: truly, verily

Interjection

amen

1. expressing strong agreement

Anagrams

• nema

Istriot

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”).

Interjection

amen

1. amen

References

• Sandro Cergna (2015), Vocabolario del dialetto di Valle d'Istria, →ISBN, page 24

Italian

Alternative forms

• amenne, ammen, ammenne (dialectal)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin āmēn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.men/
• Rhymes: -amen
• Hyphenation: à‧men

Interjection

amen

1. amen, so be it
2. (colloquial) that's it, end of story

   Near-synonyms: pace, va beh, scialla

   L'esame è andato male, amen, fattene una ragione.

   The exam went bad, so be it, come to terms with it.

Derived terms

• pace e amen

Anagrams

• -mane, mena

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (āmḗn). Cognate with Arabic آمِين (ʔāmīn), Aramaic אַמִין (ʾamīn), Classical Syriac ܐܰܡܺܝܢ (ʾamīn).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.meːn]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.men]

Adverb

āmēn (not comparable) (Late Latin, Medieval Latin, Ecclesiastical Latin; Christianity)

1. amen; so be it, let it be
2. amen; truly, verily

Interjection

āmēn

1. amen

References

• “amen”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• "amen", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “amen”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 113.
• amen in Georges, Karl Ernst; Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 1, Hahnsche Buchhandlung, column 375

Middle Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin āmēn.

Interjection

āmen

1. amen, so be it

Descendants

• Dutch: amen
• Limburgish: ame

Further reading

• “amen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “amen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• amæn (Ormulum)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English āmen, from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːˈmɛːn/, /aːˈmɛn/

Interjection

amen

1. amen

Descendants

• English: amen
• Scots: amen, amain
• Yola: amain

References

• “āmē̆n, interj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin āmēn (“amen; so be it”), from Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn, “truly, certainly; so be it”), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (“certainly, truly; amen”). The Hebrew word originally expressed truth or certainty and is related to a Hebrew verb meaning “to strengthen, confirm”. The word is already attested in Old Norwegian around 1200 in the Gammelnorsk homiliebok.

The noun is a nominalization of the interjection.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /¹ɑː.men/, [ˈɑ̀ː.měn], /aˈmeːn/, [aˈmeːn]
• Rhymes: -ɑːmen, -eːn
• Hyphenation: a‧men

Interjection

amen

1. (biblical) amen, so be it; a ritual response or concluding formula after a prayer, blessing, sermon, or other religious utterance, expressing affirmation, assent, or a wish that what has been said should be fulfilled

   Amen i Jesu navn. ― Amen in Jesus' name.

   • traditional, Jeremia [Jeremiah], 28:6:

     Amen! Måtte Herren gjøre slik!

     Amen! May the Lord do so!

2. (figuratively) amen; used to express wholehearted agreement, approval, or assent

   Det var klokt sagt. Amen! ― That was well said. Amen!

   • 2009, Christian Borch, Sannhetens kår:

     business er business. Amen.

     Business is business. Amen.

3. (figuratively, often humorous) amen; used to mark a final, sometimes mock-solemn conclusion

   Det var alt jeg hadde å si. Amen. ― That was all I had to say. Amen.

   • 1996, Kjersti Scheen, Ingen applaus for morderen, page 31:

     – Amen, sier Margaret og krøller sammen matpapiret.

     “Amen,” Margaret says, crumpling up the wrapping paper.

Usage notes

• In its religious use, amen occurs in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, particularly in connection with prayers and blessings.

Noun

amen n (definite singular amenet, indefinite plural amen or amener, definite plural amena or amenene)

1. amen; an utterance or instance of saying “amen”, especially as a concluding or assenting response after a prayer, sermon, or other religious utterance

   Vi hørte et stille amen etter bønnen. ― We heard a quiet amen after the prayer.

   • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, De unges forbund, page 32:

     der synger degnene amen; nu er dåbsakten over

     there the clerks sing amen; now the baptism is over

   sikkert som amen i kirka — absolutely certain; completely true or inevitable

   Han kommer for sent; det er like sikkert som amen i kirka. ― He'll be late; that's absolutely certain.

   1. (figuratively, often humorous) a final “amen”; a concluding word marking a more or less solemn ending

      Han avsluttet talen med et høytidelig amen. ― He ended the speech with a solemn amen.

      • 2008, Jan Kjærstad, Jeg er brødrene Walker:

        utstøte et salig Amen!

        utter a blissful Amen!

2. assent, approval; an “amen” expressing wholehearted or deeply felt agreement

   Forslaget fikk et samstemt amen fra salen. ― The proposal received a unanimous amen from the audience.

   • 1864 May 17, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Skål-sang for Ejdsvolds-mændene:

     med folkets amen til deres verk

     with the people's amen to their work

   si (ja og) amen (til noe) — to agree completely and go along with something

   De sa ja og amen til alt hun foreslo. ― They agreed to everything she proposed.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• ama (feminine definite singular of the liquid-measure/barrel noun)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ɑː.mən/, [ˈɑ̂ː.mə̌n]
• Rhymes: -ɑːmən
• Hyphenation: a‧men

Noun

amen f or m

1. masculine definite singular of ame (“old unit of liquid capacity; large barrel”)

References

• “amen” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “amen” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
• “amen” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

• emna, mane

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Ultimately from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”).

Interjection

amen

1. amen

Noun

amen n (definite singular amenet, indefinite plural amen, definite plural amena)

1. amen

References

• “amen” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• emna

Old English

Etymology

From Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːˈmen/

Interjection

āmen

1. amen, so be it
   • 10th century, The Seafarer:

     Þæs sȳ þām hālġan þonc, þæt hē ūsiċ ġeweorþade, wuldres ealdor, ēċe dryhten, in ealle tīd. Āmen.

     Thanks be to the holy one, that he worthied us, the prince of glory, the everlasting lord, in all time. Amen.

Descendants

• Middle English: amen, amæn (Ormulum)
  • English: amen
  • Scots: amen, amain
  • Yola: amain

Old Swedish

Etymology

Ultimately from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”).

Interjection

amen

1. amen

Descendants

• Swedish: amen

Old Tupi

Noun

amen

1. Lamy spelling of amana

Polabian

Etymology

Borrowed from German amen, from Latin āmēn, from Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn, “so be it”), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn).

Interjection

amen

1. (religion) amen

References

• Lehr-Spławiński, T.; Polański, K. (1962), “amen”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka Drzewian połabskich [Etymological Dictionary of the Polabian Drevani Language] (in Polish), number 1 (A – ďüzd), Wrocław; Warszawa etc.: Ossolineum, page 18
• Polański, Kazimierz; James Allen Sehnert (1967), “amen”, in Polabian-English Dictionary, The Hague, Paris: Mouton & Co, page 34
• Olesch, Reinhold (1962), “Amen”, in Thesaurus Linguae Dravaenopolabicae [Thesaurus of the Drevani language] (in German), volumes 1: A – O, Cologne, Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, →ISBN, page 4

Polish

Alternative forms

• amyn, amynt, jamyn, jamynt (Zagórze)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (āmḗn)bor.

Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn)bor.

Ecclesiastical Latin āmēnlbor.

Polish amen

Learned borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn. First attested in 1513.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.mɛn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -amɛn
• Syllabification: a‧men

Interjection

amen

1. (religion) amen! (at the end of religious prayers) [16th c.]
2. (sometimes humorous) amen! (used to end a statement) [16th c.]

Derived terms

adverb

• na amen

particle

• jak amen w pacierzu

Further reading

• “amen”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[5] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “amen”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[6] (in Polish)
• Wiesław Morawski (25.08.2022), “AMEN”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “amen”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “amen”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “amen”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 31

Portuguese

Interjection

amen

1. obsolete spelling of amém

Further reading

• “amen”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Romani

Alternative forms

• ame

Etymology

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe), from Sanskrit अस्मान् (asmān), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥smé. Cognate with Gujarati અમે (ame), Marwari अमै (amai).

Pronoun

amen

1. we, us

See also

Romani personal pronouns

number	person		nominative	accusative	dative	locative	ablative	instrumental	possessive
singular	first		me	man	manqe	manθe	manθar	mança	miro, -i, -e
	second		tu	tut	tuqe	tuθe	tuθar	tuça	tiro, -i, -e
	reflexive third		—	pes	pesqe	pesθe	pesθar	peça	pesqero, -i, -e
	third	m	ov	les	lesqe	lesθe	lesθar	leça	lesqero, -i, -e
		f	oj	la	laqe	laθe	laθar	laça	laqero, -i, -e
plural	first		amen		amenqe	amenθe	amenθar	amença	amaro, -i, -e
	second		tumen		tumenqe	tumenθe	tumenθar	tumença	tumaro, -i, -e
	reflexive third		—	pen	penqe	penθe	penθar	pença	penqero, -i, -e
	third		on	len	lenqe	lenθe	lenθar	lença	lenqero, -i, -e

---

Kalderash Romani personal pronouns

number	person		nominative	accusative (long and short forms)	dative	locative	ablative	instrumental	possessive
singular	first		me	man, ma	mánge	mánde	mándar	mánsa	múrro, -i, -e
	second		tu	tut, tu	túke	túte	tútar	túsa	tíro, -i, -e
	reflexive third		—	pês, pe	pêske	pêste	pêstar	pêsa	pêsko, -i, -e
	third	m	wo	lês, le	lêske	lêste	lêstar	lêsa	lêsko, -i, -e
		f	woi	la, la	láke	láte	látar	lása	láko, -i, -e
plural	first		ame	amên, ame	amênge	amênde	amêndar	amênsa	amáro, -i, -e
	second		tume	tumên, tume	tumênge	tumênde	tumêndar	tumênsa	tumáro, -i, -e
	reflexive third		—	pên, pe	pênge	pênde	pêndar	pênsa	pêngo, -i, -e
	third		won	lên, le	lênge	lênde	lêndar	lênsa	lêngo, -i, -e

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈamen/ [ˈa.mẽn]
• Rhymes: -amen
• Syllabification: a‧men

Verb

amen

1. inflection of amar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative

Swedish

Interjection

amen

1. amen

References

• “amen”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “amen”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “amen”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (āmḗn)bor.

Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn)bor.

Ecclesiastical Latin āmēnder.

Spanish aménbor.

Tagalog amen

Borrowed from Spanish amén, from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, borrowed from Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (āmḗn).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaˈmen/ [ʔɐˈmɛn̪], /ˈʔamen/ [ˈʔaː.mɛn̪]
• Rhymes: -en, -amen
• Syllabification: a‧men

Interjection

amén or amen (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋᜒᜈ᜔)

1. amen

   Synonym: siya nawa

Noun

amén or amen (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋᜒᜈ᜔)

1. hand-kissing of one's elders (as a sign of respect)

   Synonyms: mano, pagmano, pagmamano

2. saying of yes to everything that another says

Derived terms

• pag-amen
• tagaamen
• umamen

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔamen/ [ˈʔaː.mɛn̪]
• Rhymes: -amen
• Syllabification: a‧men

Determiner

amen (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋᜒᜈ᜔) (colloquial)

1. alternative form of amin

Pronoun

amen (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋᜒᜈ᜔) (colloquial)

1. alternative form of amin

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔamen/ [ˈʔaː.mɛn̪]
• Rhymes: -amen
• Syllabification: a‧men

Noun

amen (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋᜒᜈ᜔) (colloquial)

1. alternative form of amin

Further reading

• “amen”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Cuadrado Muñiz, Adolfo (1972), Hispanismos en el tagalo: diccionario de vocablos de origen español vigentes en esta lengua filipina, Madrid: Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, page 29

Vietnamese

Etymology

From French amen.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧ mɛn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧ mɛŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧ mɛŋ˧˧]
• Phonetic spelling: a men

Interjection

amen

1. amen