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divine

[dih-vahyn]
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adjective, di·vin·er, di·vin·est.
  1. of or relating to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
  2. addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred: divine worship.
  3. proceeding from God or a god: divine laws; divine guidance.
  4. godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity: divine magnanimity.
  5. heavenly; celestial: the divine kingdom.
  6. extremely good; unusually lovely: He has the most divine tenor voice.
  7. being a god; being God: Zeus, Hera, and other divine beings in Greek mythology.
  8. of superhuman or surpassing excellence: Beauty is divine.
  9. Obsolete. of or relating to divinity or theology.
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noun
  1. a theologian; scholar in religion.
  2. a priest or member of the clergy.
  3. the Divine,
    1. God.
    2. (sometimes lowercase)the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.
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verb (used with object), di·vined, di·vin·ing.
  1. to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future) by divination; prophesy.
  2. to discover (water, metal, etc.) by means of a divining rod.
  3. to perceive by intuition or insight; conjecture: She divined personal details about her customers based on their clothing and accents. It was not difficult to divine his true intent.
  4. Archaic. to portend.
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verb (used without object), di·vined, di·vin·ing.
  1. to use or practice divination; prophesy.
  2. to have perception by intuition or insight; conjecture.
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Origin of divine

1275–1325; Middle English < Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv(us) god + -īnus -ine1; replacing Middle English devin(e) < Old French devin < Latin, as above
Related formsdi·vin·a·ble, adjectivedi·vine·ly, adverbdi·vine·ness, nounhalf-di·vine, adjectivehalf-di·vine·ly, adverbpre·di·vin·a·ble, adjectivepseu·do·di·vine, adjectivesub·di·vine, adjectivesub·di·vine·ly, adverbsub·di·vine·ness, nounsu·per·di·vine, adjectiveun·di·vin·a·ble, adjectiveun·di·vined, adjectiveun·di·vin·ing, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for divine on Thesaurus.com
13, 17. foretell, predict, foresee, forecast. 15, 18. discern, understand.

Antonyms

5. worldly, mundane.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for divine

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I think this blessing comes from the Divine, by reason of the innocence of his life.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • I asked, 'Is this the divine home, whence I departed into the body?'

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • Knowing the Milbreys, you will divine the warmth of their behaviour toward the son.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • What that truth may be, we leave to the intelligence of the reader to divine.

  • All ferocity must be misinterpretation of the divine law of harmony and mutual help.

British Dictionary definitions for divine

divine

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characterizing God or a deity
  2. godlike
  3. of, relating to, or associated with religion or worshipthe divine liturgy
  4. of supreme excellence or worth
  5. informal splendid; perfect
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noun
  1. the divine (often capital) another term for God
  2. a priest, esp one learned in theology
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verb
  1. to perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight
  2. to conjecture (something); guess
  3. to discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power
  4. (tr) to search for (underground supplies of water, metal, etc) using a divining rod
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Derived Formsdivinable, adjectivedivinely, adverbdivineness, noundiviner, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Latin dīvīnus, from dīvus a god; related to deus a 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 divine

adj.

c.1300, from Old French devin (12c.), from Latin divinus "of a god," from divus "a god," related to deus "god, deity" (see Zeus). Weakened sense of "excellent" had evolved by late 15c.

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v.

"to conjure, to guess," originally "to make out by supernatural insight," mid-14c., from Old French deviner, from Vulgar Latin *devinare, dissimilated from *divinare, from Latin divinus (see divine (adj.)), which also meant "soothsayer." Related: Divined; diviner; divining. Divining rod (or wand) attested from 1650s.

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n.

c.1300, "soothsayer," from Old French devin, from Latin divinus (adj.); see divine (adj.). Meaning "ecclesiastic, theologian" is from late 14c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper