deiform

American  

[dee-uh-fawrm] / ˈdi əˌfɔrm /

adjective

1. godlike or divine in form or nature.

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deiform British  

/ ˈdiːɪˌfɔːm /

adjective

1. having the form or appearance of a god; sacred or divine

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Other Word Forms

• deiformity
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of deiform

1635–45; < Medieval Latin deiformis, equivalent to Latin dei- (combining form of deus god) + -formis -form

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Explanation

Some celebrities — such as an unbeatable athlete, or a pop star who is adored by millions of fans — come to have an almost deiform, or "godlike" public image. They are almost worshipped. Deiform comes from medieval Latin, combining dei-, "of god," with formis, "form." It’s a word that comes up most often in philosophy and theology, but sometimes in other writing, too. Some philosophers and theologians believe that every person has a deiform soul, a soul that is like the divine. In some religions, angels are deiform beings, since they are pure spirit, holy, and glorious, like God or a god.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deiform

The fifth and sixth represent the two great forms of the Contemplative Life as conceived by Ruysbroeck: the ecstatic and the deiform.

From Ruysbroeck by Evelyn Underhill

But by this light the rational creature is made deiform, as is said in this article.

From Summa Theologica, Part I (Prima Pars) From the Complete American Edition by Saint Thomas Aquinas

For a deiform intellect resides above every soul, and which also imparts to the soul an intellectual habit.

From Introduction to the Philosophy and Writings of Plato by Thomas Taylor

The concreate and perpetual thirst for the deiform realm was bearing us on swift almost as ye see the heavens.

From Divine Comedy, Norton's Translation, Paradise by Charles Eliot Norton

His intellect was patrician—almost deiform in the old Roman sense.

From The Orchard of Tears by Sax Rohmer

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