1. (in the Bible) the substance miraculously supplied as food to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exod. 16).
▪ an unexpected or gratuitous benefit: "the cakes were manna from heaven"
▪ (in Christian contexts) spiritual nourishment, especially the Eucharist.
▪ a sweet secretion from the manna ash or a similar plant, used as a mild laxative and as a principal source of mannitol.
Word OriginOld English, via late Latin and Greek from Aramaic mannā, from Hebrew mān, corresponding to Arabic mann, denoting a product of the tamarisk Tamarix mannifera.
