Epiphany
Etymology
From Greek “epiphaneia” (manifestation, appearance), from “epiphainein,” to show forth (“epi,” upon, plus “phainein,” to show). It first named the Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of Christ to the Magi. James Joyce secularized the term in his fiction for the sudden spiritual revelation triggered by a trivial moment, and that literary sense now dominates.
noun · /ih-PIF-uh-nee/
A sudden, striking realization that reveals the deeper meaning of something ordinary.
What it names
The instant a scattered set of facts or feelings snaps into clarity and you finally understand what was in front of you.
Example
Halfway through washing the dishes she had an epiphany about why the argument kept repeating: neither of them was actually listening.
Related idea
An insight can be worked toward gradually; an epiphany arrives all at once, with the force of a curtain suddenly pulled back.
noun · /ih-PIF-uh-nee/
A Christian feast on January 6 marking the showing of the infant Christ to the Magi.
What it names
The holiday, also called Three Kings’ Day, that closes the Christmas season by celebrating Christ’s manifestation to the gentiles.
Example
In Spain, children receive their gifts at Epiphany rather than on Christmas Day.
Related idea
The everyday sense — a sudden revelation — grew out of this religious one; both turn on the Greek epiphaneia, a "showing forth." Distinguish it from Advent, the season of waiting that precedes Christmas.