'cherub' originates from Hebrew, specifically the word 'kĕrūḇ', via Greek 'kheroub' and Late Latin 'cherub', where 'kĕrūḇ' referred to a type of celestial being.

'kĕrūḇ' passed into Greek as 'kheroub', then into Late Latin as 'cherubus/cherub', moved through Old French and Middle English, and eventually became the modern English word 'cherub'.

Initially, it meant 'a celestial being attending God's presence', but over time it also came to denote 'a childlike angel in Western art' and, figuratively, 'an innocent-looking child'.