deva

[ dey-vuh ]

/ ˈdeɪ və /

noun

Hinduism, Buddhism. a god or divinity.

Zoroastrianism. one of an order of evil spirits.

Nearby words

Origin of deva

From Sanskrit

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

Examples from the Web for deva

And perhaps, while he is about it, he might get killed in a Deva gorge.
Northern Spain|Edgar T. A. Wigram
The words Deva and Asura have an exactly opposite significance in the two religions.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India--Volume I (of IV)|R.V. Russell
And, if we inquire diligently, we shall find our Davy in the Deva of the Indian mythology.
Storyology|Benjamin Taylor
This aforementioned Deva was responsible for the most unspeakable atrocities against the Albanian population in Albania proper.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin

There are also several Deva temples, occupied by sectaries of different kinds.
Buddhism, In its Connexion With Brahmanism and Hinduism, and In Its Contrast with Christianity|Sir Monier Monier-Williams

British Dictionary definitions for deva

deva

/ (ˈdeɪvə) /

noun

(in Hinduism and Buddhism) a divine being or god

Word Origin for deva

C19: from Sanskrit: god

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 deva

deva

"god, good spirit" in Hindu religion, from Sanskrit deva "a god," originally "a shining one," from *div- "to shine," thus cognate with Greek dios "divine" and Zeus, and Latin deus "god" (Old Latin deivos); see Zeus.

Fem. form devi is used for "goddess," also (with capital D-) for the mother goddess in Hinduism. Hence, also, devadasi "temple dancing girl," literally "female servant of a god," from dasi "slave girl." Also Devanagari, the formal alphabet of Sanskrit writings, perhaps originally "divine city script," from nagara "city."