exodus
- 01 C2 Proficiency
the story in the Bible about the Israelites leaving Egypt to find freedom.
the departure of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses; also the name of the second book of the Old Testament.
Simple“In school, we learned about the Exodus and how the people crossed the sea.”
In context“Theological scholars often debate the exact historical timeline of the Exodus and its impact on the formation of early Israelite identity.”
UsageCapitalized as 'the Exodus' when referring to the specific historical or religious event.
Teacher's tipRemind students that when capitalized, it refers to a specific proper noun, whereas lowercase 'exodus' is a general noun.
“Low funding has been blamed for a steady exodus from the sector.”
“But the exodus has not stopped, aid is shrinking and a generation of refugees is growing up with little prospect of going home.”
From Latin Exodus, from Ancient Greek ἔξοδος (éxodos), from ἐξ (ex, “out of”) + ὁδός (hodós, “way”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.