Deity Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Etymology== {{main|Dyeus|Deus|God (word)|Deva (Hinduism)}} The English language word ''deity'' derives from [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|deitΓ©}},<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 β 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 β 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 β 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|230β31}} 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=DevΔ«: 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, 18β21|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=101β102|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=418β23|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 β\ 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|230β231}} {{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|230β231}}<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). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page