deity
/ˈdeɪɪti/
noun
Origin
Latin
deitas — divine nature, godhead
Overview
Meaning Now
- A divine being, god, or goddess.
- The quality or nature of being divine.
Literal older meaning
Godhood or god-state.
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
deite
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term stems from the PIE root *dyeu-, which is also the ancestor of the Latin 'deus', Sanskrit 'deva', and Germanic terms like 'Tuesday' (Tiw's day). It transitioned through Christian theology in Late Latin to denote the essential nature of God, before entering English via French in the Middle Ages.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*dyeu-
“to shine, sky, heaven”
Root denoting the sky or a heavenly father figure.
- Latin
deus
“god”
Derived from the PIE root for 'day-sky'.
- Late Latin
deitas
“divine nature”
Abstract formation from 'deus'.
- Old French
deité
“godhead”
The Anglo-Norman source for the English adoption.
- Middle English
deite
“divinity, a god”
Direct borrowing from Old French.
Connections
Word parts
dei-
root
god
-ty
suffix
state or quality
Related across languages
French
déité
deity
Spanish
deidad
deity
Latin
deus
god
Explore next
Related to deity
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.