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PreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text==Etymology== {{main|Dyeus|Deus|God (word)|Deva (Hinduism)}} The English language word ''deity'' derives from [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|deité}},<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hoad|first1=T. F.|title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology|date=2008|publisher=Paw Prints|isbn=978-1-4395-0571-7|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=CDaPuAAACAAJ}}|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=June 2017}} the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|deitatem}} (nominative {{lang|la|deitas}}) or "divine nature", coined by [[Augustine of Hippo]] from ''{{lang|la|[[deus]]}}'' ("god"). Deus is related through a common [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] (PIE) origin to ''[[Dyeus|*deiwos]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=deity |title=Online Etymology Dictionary – Deity |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=18 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818174000/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=deity |url-status=live }}</ref> This root yields the ancient Indian word ''[[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]]'' meaning "to gleam, a shining one", from *div- "to shine", as well as [[Greek language|Greek]] ''{{lang|grc-Latn|dios}}'' "[[Divinity|divine]]" and [[Zeus]]; and Latin ''{{lang|la|deus}}'' "god" ([[Old Latin]] ''deivos'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=deva&searchmode=none |title=Online Etymology Dictionary – Deva |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=18 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818214335/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=deva&searchmode=none |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="etymonline1">{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Zeus&allowed_in_frame=0 |title=Online Etymology Dictionary – Zeus |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=18 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818173500/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Zeus&allowed_in_frame=0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mallory"/>{{rp|230–31}} Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is [[devi]].<ref name="Monier-Williams"/>{{rp|496}} Etymologically, the cognates of ''Devi'' are Latin ''{{lang|la|dea}}'' and Greek ''{{lang|grc-Latn|thea}}''.<ref name="HawleyWulff1998">{{cite book|last1=Hawley|first1=John Stratton|last2=Wulff|first2=Donna M.|title=Devī: Goddesses of India|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=CZrV3kOpMt0C|page=2}}|year=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1491-2|pages=2, 18–21|edition=1st}}</ref> In [[Old Persian]], {{lang|peo-latn|[[Daeva|daiva-]]}} means "[[demon]], evil god",<ref name="etymonline1" /> while in [[Sanskrit]] it means the opposite, referring to the "heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones".<ref name="Monier-Williams"/>{{rp|496}}<ref name="Klostermaier">{{cite book|last=Klostermaier|first=Klaus K.|title=Survey of Hinduism, A: Third Edition|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=8CVviRghVtIC|page=101}}|date=2010|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-8011-3|pages=101–102|edition=3rd}}</ref><ref name="Mallory2">{{cite book|last1=Mallory|first1=J.P.|last2=Adams|first2=D.Q.|title=The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world|date=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-928791-8|pages=418–23|edition=Reprint|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=iNUSDAAAQBAJ|page=418}}|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en}}</ref> The closely linked term "[[God (word)|god]]" refers to "supreme being, deity", according to Douglas Harper,<ref name="Etymonline">{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=god&allowed_in_frame=0 |title=Online Etymology Dictionary –\ God |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=30 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730023014/http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=god&allowed_in_frame=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is derived from [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] ''*guthan'', from PIE ''{{PIE|*ghut-}}'', which means "that which is invoked".<ref name="Mallory"/>{{rp|230–231}} {{lang|ga|Guth}} in the [[Irish language]] means "voice". The term ''{{PIE|*ghut-}}'' is also the source of [[Old Church Slavonic]] {{lang|cu|zovo}} ("to call"), Sanskrit ''{{lang|sa-Latn|huta-}}'' ("invoked", an epithet of [[Indra]]), from the root {{PIE|*gheu(e)-}} ("to call, invoke."),<ref name="Etymonline"/> An alternate etymology for the term "god" comes from the Proto-Germanic [[Gaut]], which traces it to the PIE root ''{{PIE|*ghu-to-}}'' ("poured"), derived from the root ''{{PIE|*gheu-}}'' ("to pour, pour a [[libation]]"). The term ''{{PIE|*gheu-}}'' is also the source of the Greek ''{{lang|grc-Latn|khein}}'' "to pour".<ref name="Etymonline"/> Originally the word "god" and its other Germanic cognates were [[Grammatical gender|neuter]] nouns but shifted to being generally masculine under the influence of Christianity in which the [[Gender of God|god is typically seen as male]].<ref name="Mallory"/>{{rp|230–231}}<ref name="Etymonline"/> In contrast, all ancient [[Proto-Indo-European society|Indo-European cultures]] and [[Proto-Indo-European religion|mythologies]] recognized both masculine and feminine deities.<ref name="Mallory2"/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). 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