e·piph·a·ny [i píffnee ] (plural e·piph·a·nies) noun 1. appearance of a god: the manifestation of a divine being 2. sudden realization: a sudden intuitive leap of understanding, especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence  It came to him in an epiphany what his life's work was to be. [17th century. Via French épiphanie from, ultimately, Greek epiphaneia "manifestation," from epiphanein "to manifest," from phanein "to show."] ep·i·phan·ic [èppi fánnik ] adjective e·piph·a·nous [i píffnss ] adjective