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Definition 2024
Deus
Deus
Latin
Etymology
From deus (“god, deity”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈde.us/
Proper noun
Deus m (genitive Deī); second declension
- God (in a Judeo-Christian context)
Inflection
Second declension, with irregular vocative.
| Case | Singular |
|---|---|
| nominative | Deus |
| genitive | Deī |
| dative | Deō |
| accusative | Deum |
| ablative | Deō |
| vocative | Deus Dee |
Derived terms
Descendants
Old Portuguese
Etymology
Proper noun
Deus
Descendants
deus
deus
Galician
Etymology
From Old Portuguese deus, from Latin deus.
Noun
deus m (plural deuses)
Related terms
Latin
Etymology
From Old Latin deiuos, from Proto-Italic *deiwos, from Proto-Indo-European *deywós. An o-stem derivative from *dyew- (“sky, heaven”), from which also diēs and Iuppiter. Cognate with Welsh duw, Lithuanian dievas, Persian دیو (div, “demon”).
The late Old Latin form *dēvos regularly lost its -v- before a rounded vowel, but it was retained before other vowels, giving rise to case forms both with and without -v-. The presence of -v- in turn prevented the intermediate vowel -ē- from being raised to -ī-, which led to an alternation between *dē- before back-vowel endings and *dīv- before front-vowel endings. The former gave rise to the nominative deus, while the latter became a separate word, dīvus. Finally, -v- was lost between identical vowels, giving the diī(s) forms, or contracted dī(s).[1]
Despite its superficial similarity in form and meaning, the word is not etymologically related to Ancient Greek θεός (theós), which comes from a completely different root.[2]
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈde.us/, [ˈde.ʊs]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈde.us/, [ˈdeː.us]
Noun
deus m (genitive deī); second declension
- god, deity
- 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations (Latin text and English translations here)
- O di immortales, ubinam gentium sumus? Quam rem publicam habemus? In qua urbe vivimus?.
- O ye immortal gods, where on earth are we? In what city are we living? What is the government we have?
- O di immortales, ubinam gentium sumus? Quam rem publicam habemus? In qua urbe vivimus?.
- 405, Jerome and others, Vulgate, Daniel 1:2
- […] et asportavit ea in terram Sennaar in domum dei sui et vasa intulit in domum thesauri dei sui
- " […] which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god."
- […] et asportavit ea in terram Sennaar in domum dei sui et vasa intulit in domum thesauri dei sui
- 405, Jerome and others, Vulgate, John 1:1
- In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum.
- In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word.
- In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum.
- 63 BCE, Cicero, Catiline Orations (Latin text and English translations here)
- an imperial epithet (for deified emperors)
Declension
Second declension, with several irregular plural forms.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | deus | dī diī deī |
| genitive | deī | deōrum deûm |
| dative | deō | dīs diīs deīs |
| accusative | deum | deōs |
| ablative | deō | dīs diīs deīs |
| vocative | deus dee |
dī diī deī |
Derived terms
Related terms
Coordinate terms
- dea (goddess)
Descendants
References
- deus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- deus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- DEUS in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
- Félix Gaffiot (1934), “deus”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
- Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- God made the world: deus mundum aedificavit, fabricatus est, effecit (not creavit)
- God is the Creator of the world: deus est mundi procreator (not creator), aedificator, fabricator, opifex rerum
- the sovereign power of the gods: numen (deorum) divinum
- to be an earnest worshipper of the gods: deos sancte, pie venerari
- to honour the gods with all due ceremonial (very devoutly): deum rite (summa religione) colere
-
(ambiguous) worship of the gods; divine service: cultus dei, deorum (N. D. 2. 3. 8)
- to make a pilgrimage to the shrines of the gods: templa deorum adire
- to be regarded as a god: numerum deorum obtinere (N. D. 3. 20)
- to deify a person: aliquem in deorum numerum referre, reponere
- to consider as a god: aliquem in deorum numero referre
- to approach the gods: propius ad deos accedere (Mil. 22. 59)
- we believe in the existence of a God: deum esse credimus
- to deny the existence of the gods: deos esse negare
- belief in God is part of every one's nature: omnibus innatum est et in animo quasi insculptum esse deum
- an atheist: qui deum esse negat
- to pray to God: precari aliquid a deo
- to pray to God: precari deum, deos
- to pray to God: supplicare deo (Sall. Iug. 63. 1)
- to pray to God: adhibere deo preces
- to call the gods to witness: testari deos (Sull. 31. 86)
- to call gods and men to witness: contestari deos hominesque
- and may God grant success: quod deus bene vertat!
- and may heaven avert the omen! heaven preserve us from this: quod di immortales omen avertant! (Phil. 44. 11)
- heaven forfend: di prohibeant, di meliora!
- to appease the anger of the gods: deos placare (B. G. 6. 15)
-
(ambiguous) to give thanks to heaven: grates agere (dis immortalibus)
-
(ambiguous) the favour of heaven: dei propitii (opp. irati)
-
(ambiguous) worship of the gods; divine service: cultus dei, deorum (N. D. 2. 3. 8)
-
(ambiguous) belief in god: opinio dei
-
(ambiguous) to have innate ideas of the Godhead; to believe in the Deity by intuition: insitas (innatas) dei cognitiones habere (N. D. 1. 17. 44)
-
(ambiguous) Nature has implanted in all men the idea of a God: natura in omnium animis notionem dei impressit (N. D. 1. 16. 43)
-
(ambiguous) to thank, glorify the immortal gods: grates, laudes agere dis immortalibus
-
(ambiguous) with the help of the gods: dis bene iuvantibus (Fam. 7. 20. 2)
-
(ambiguous) to sacrifice: rem divinam facere (dis)
- God made the world: deus mundum aedificavit, fabricatus est, effecit (not creavit)
- ↑ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill
- ↑ Fortson, Benjamin W. (2010) Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction, second edition, Oxford: Blackwell, page 1
Old French
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Latin duos, duas, the masculine and feminine accusative singulars of duo.
Numeral
deus (nominative dui)
Descendants
Old Portuguese
Alternative forms
- Deus
- deꝯ (abbreviation)
- dṡ (abbreviation)
Etymology
From Latin deus (“god”). See deus for more information.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈd̪ews̺/
Proper noun
deus
- (Christianity) God
- 13th century, attributed to Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 3 (facsimile):
- Por ela nos perdõou / deus o pecado Dadam. / da maçãa que goſtou. per / que ſoffreu muit affan.
- By her, God forgave us of Adam’s sin. Of the apple he tasted, because she felt very anguished.
- Por ela nos perdõou / deus o pecado Dadam. / da maçãa que goſtou. per / que ſoffreu muit affan.
- 13th century, attributed to Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 3 (facsimile):
Descendants
Portuguese
Alternative forms
- deos (obsolete)
Etymology
From Old Portuguese deus (“God”), from Latin deus (“god, deity”), unusual in that it was derived from the nominative instead of the accusative (deum), from deiuos (“god, deity”), from Proto-Italic *deiwos (“god, deity”), from Proto-Indo-European *deywós (“god, deity”), from *dyew- (“sky, heaven”).
Pronunciation
Noun
deus m (plural deuses, feminine deusa, feminine plural deusas, feminine deia (poetic), feminine plural deias)
Synonyms
Derived terms
- Deus
- deus-dará
- deus grego