machina
/ˈmaː.kʰi.na/
noun
Origin
Latin
makhana — device, contrivance
Overview
Meaning Now
- A machine, engine, or structure; a device or contrivance for performing work.
- A device used in a theatre to lower or raise actors (the origin of 'deus ex machina').
Literal older meaning
a device, structure, or trick
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Doric Greek → Latin
Earliest form
machina
Earliest period
3rd century BC
Journey
In Roman theatre, the 'machina' referred specifically to a crane or winch system that could lower a god onto the stage, leading to the phrase 'deus ex machina' (god from the machine).
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*magh-
“to be able, to have power”
Root suggesting capability or power.
- Doric Greek
makhana
“means, expedient, device”
Borrowed into Latin as a technical term.
- Classical Latin
machina
“machine, engine, siege-engine”
Applied to both military and theatrical devices.
Connections
Word parts
machin-
root
device
-a
ending
feminine singular nominative
Related across languages
Ancient Greek
mēkhanē
device, invention
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Related to machina
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.