እግዚአብሔር
ʾəgziʾäbḥer
In Amharic, the word for God is እግዚአብሔር (ʾəgziʾäbḥer).
In modern Amharic, እግዚአብሔር is used almost exclusively to refer to the monotheistic God of Christianity and Islam.
Meaning: deity (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ʾəgziʾäbḥer
Did you know?
- Amharic speakers frequently use እግዚአብሔር ይመስገን meaning 'thanks be to God' as a standard response to 'how are you', regardless of the actual circumstances of their day.
- Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia both use እግዚአብሔር to refer to the one God of their respective faiths.
- Within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition, the name እግዚአብሔር is so holy that believers often use descriptive titles instead to avoid speaking it directly.
Examples in context
- እግዚአብሔር ይመስገን።Egziabher yimesgen.Praise be to God.
- እግዚአብሔር ይጠብቅህ።Egziabher yitebiqih.May God protect you.
Example conversation
Helen and Nati are saying goodbye after a long meeting.
- ሄለን Helenናቲ፣ መልካም ጊዜ ይሁንልህ።Nati, melkam gize yihunilih.Nati, have a good time.
- ናቲ Natiአመሰግናለሁ፣ እግዚአብሔር ይመስገን።Ameseginallehu, Egziabher yimesgen.Thank you, praise be to God.
- ሄለን Helenእግዚአብሔር ይባርክህ።Egziabher yibarikih.May God bless you.
- ናቲ Natiአሜን፣ አንቺንም እግዚአብሔር ይጠብቅሽ።Amen, anchinim Egziabher yitebiqish.Amen, may God protect you too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry እግዚአብሔር, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
