demiurge

[ dem-ee-urj ]

/ ˈdɛm iˌɜrdʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR demiurge ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Philosophy.

Platonism. the artificer of the world.
(in the Gnostic and certain other systems) a supernatural being imagined as creating or fashioning the world in subordination to the Supreme Being, and sometimes regarded as the originator of evil.

(in many states of ancient Greece) a public official or magistrate.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

demission, demist, demister, demit, demitasse, demiurgic, demiveg, demivierge, demivolt, demiworld, demo

Origin of demiurge

1590–1600; < Greek dēmiourgós a worker for the people, skilled worker, equivalent to dḗmio(s) of the people (derivative of dêmos the people) + -ergos a worker, derivative of érgon work, with oe > ou

Related formsdem·i·ur·geous

[dem-ee-ur-juh s] /ˌdɛm iˈɜr dʒəs/, dem·i·ur·gic, dem·i·ur·gi·cal, adjectivedem·i·ur·gi·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for demiurgic

Ptah, the Hephaestus of the Greeks, a demiurgic and creative god, special patron of hand-workers and artisans.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1|Various
Where is the motive, operative, demiurgic force, ready to translate such an idea into reality?
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume IV (of 4)|George Grote
In the cosmogonical myths of the Muyscas this was the home or source of Light, and was a name applied to the demiurgic force.
American Hero-Myths|Daniel G. Brinton
It is he whom an ancient monument represents as the demiurgic principle creating the mundane egg.
The Ceramic Art|Jennie J. Young

Much that has been described as Asiatic in the genius of Æschylus may be referred to what I have called his demiurgic force.
Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol I of 2)|John Addington Symonds

British Dictionary definitions for demiurgic

demiurge

/ (ˈdɛmɪˌɜːdʒ, ˈdiː-) /

noun

(in the philosophy of Plato) the creator of the universe
(in Gnostic and some other philosophies) the creator of the universe, supernatural but subordinate to the Supreme Being

(in ancient Greece) a magistrate with varying powers found in any of several states

Derived Formsdemiurgeous, demiurgic or demiurgical, adjectivedemiurgically, adverb

Word Origin for demiurge

C17: from Church Latin dēmiūrgus, from Greek dēmiourgos skilled workman, literally: one who works for the people, from dēmos people + ergon work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for demiurgic

demiurge

1670s, from Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, literally "public or skilled worker" (from demos "common people;" see demotic + ergos "work;" see urge (v.)).

The title of a magistrate in some Peloponnesian city-states and the Achæan League; taken in Platonic philosophy as a name for the maker of the world. In the Gnostic system, "conceived as a being subordinate to the Supreme Being, and sometimes as the author of evil" [OED].