Advent

noun

Ad·​vent ˈad-ˌvent 

 chiefly British  -vənt

1

: the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting

2

a

: the coming of Christ at the Incarnation (see incarnation sense 3b(1))

b

: second coming

3

not capitalized : a coming into being or use

the advent of spring

the advent of pasteurization

the advent of personal computers

Synonyms

• appearance
• arrival
• coming
• incoming

Examples of Advent in a Sentence

with the advent of the mass-produced automobile, the need for a better system of roads and highways soon became apparent

Recent Examples on the Web

Holiday Teddy Bear Chocolate Advent Calendar $12 Amazon Sharing? —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2024

In May 2023, Advent International and Warburg Pincus teamed up to agree to buy Baxter International's contract manufacturing unit for $4.25 billion. —Claire Rychlewski, Axios, 13 Aug. 2024

Zoom in: The company is holding management presentations with potential bidders, including PE firms Advent International, Blackstone, Cinven and CVC Capital Partners, among others, per Bloomberg. —Richard Collings, Axios, 22 July 2024

The eight transactions included American International Group’s sale of part of a business to Blackstone and the purchase of satellite operator Maxar Technologies by private equity firm Advent International, a Goldman client. —Reuters, CNN, 18 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin adventus, going back to Latin, "arrival, appearance," from adven-, variant stem of advenīre "to arrive" (from ad- ad- + venīre "to come," going back to Indo-European *g^wem-i̯e-) + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at come entry 1

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Advent

• Advent Sunday
• Advent wreath

Kids Definition

advent

noun

ad·​vent

ˈad-ˌvent

1

capitalized : the season beginning four Sundays before Christmas

2

: the first appearance : arrival

the advent of spring

Etymology

Middle English advent "Christmas season," from Latin adventus (same meaning), from earlier adventus "arrival"