User Contributed Dictionary
see Deus
Etymology
From (cf. Vedic deva-), derived from *dyew- "heaven, day, day-god" (cf. Latin Iu(ppiter), Greek Ζεύς (Zeus), Vedic dyáus(pitā))Pronunciation
- /ˈdɛ.ʊs/
Derived terms
Portuguese
Noun
Related terms
Extensive Definition
Deus (pronounced
['deːus]) is the Latin word for
"god" or "deity". The Latin words deus and
dīvus, and Greek διϝος = "divine", are descended from Proto-Indo-European
*deiwos = "divine", from the same root
as Dyēus, the
reconstructed chief god of the Proto-Indo-European
pantheon, also a cognate of the Greek Ζευς (Zeus). By the era of
Classical Latin it was a general noun referring to any number of
divine figures. The word continues to refer directly to God in the
Portuguese
language. It is also incorporated into a number of phrases and
slogans. For example, nobiscum deus ("God with us") was a battle cry of
the late Roman Empire
and of the Byzantine
Empire.
Dei is an inflected form of deus, used
in such phrases as Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei (work
of God), Agnus Dei
(Lamb
of God) and Dei Gratia
(By
the Grace of God). It is most often the genitive
case ("of god"), but is also the primary plural form in addition to the
variant di. There is another
plural sometimes used, dii, and a feminine form deae
("goddesses").
The word "Deus," through "Dei," is the root of
deism, pandeism, panendeism,
and polydeism,
ironically all of which are theories in which any divine figure is
absent from intervening in human affairs. This curious circumstance
originates from the use of the word "deism" in the 17th and 18th
centuries as a contrast to the prevailing "theism", belief in an actively
intervening God:
Followers of these theories, and occasionally
followers of pantheism, may sometimes refer
to God as "Deus" or "the Deus" to make clear that the entity being
discussed is not a theistic "God". Arthur C.
Clarke used this in his novel, 3001:
The Final Odyssey. There, the term Deus has replaced God in the
31st Century, the word God being associated with religious
fanaticism. The prevailing religious view in Clarke's story is
Deism.
Some uses of the word have negative connotations.
In Cartesian
philosophy, the
phrase deus deceptor is sometimes used to discuss the possibility
of an evil God that seeks to deceive us. This character is related
to a skeptical
argument as to how much we can really know if an evil genius
were attempting to thwart our knowledge. Another is the deus otiosus
("idle god"), a theological concept used to describe the belief in
a creator god who largely retires from the world and is no longer
involved in its daily operation. A similar concept is that of the
deus absconditus ("hidden god") of Thomas
Aquinas. Both refer to a deity whose existence is not readily
knowable by humans through either contemplation or examination of
divine actions. The concept of deus otiosus often suggests a god
who has grown weary from involvement in this world and who has been
replaced by younger, more active gods, whereas deus absconditus
suggests a god who has consciously left this world to hide
elsewhere.
Common expressions
- Agnus Dei
- Deus ex machina
- Deus otiosus/Deus absconditus
- Munificentissimus Deus
- Opus Dei
- Providentissimus Deus
- Rector Potens, Verax Deus
- Regnator omnium deus
- Rerum Deus Tenax Vigor
- Rex Deus
- Sublimus Dei
- Te Deum
See also
deus in Portuguese: Deus
deus in Swedish: Deus
deus in Turkish: Deus