deus ex machina
[ dey-uh s eks mah-kuh-nuh, dee-uh s eks mak-uh-nuh ]
/ ˈdeɪ əs ɛks ˈmɑ kə nə, ˈdi əs ɛks ˈmæk ə nə /
noun
(in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot.
any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot.
Words nearby deus ex machina
deuces wild, deunionize, deurbanize, deurne, deus, deus ex machina, deus ramos, deus vobiscum, deus vult, deusdedit, deut.
Origin of deus ex machina
1690–1700; < New Latin literally, god from a machine (i.e., stage machinery from which a deity's statue was lowered), as translation of Greek apò mēchanês theós (Demosthenes), theòs ek mēchanês (Menander), etc.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for deus ex machina
deus ex machina
/ Latin (ˈdeɪʊs ɛks ˈmækɪnə) /
noun
(in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the plot
any unlikely or artificial device serving this purpose
Word Origin for deus ex machina
literally: god out of a machine, translating Greek theos ek mēkhanēs
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