numen

[ noo-min, nyoo- ]

/ ˈnu mɪn, ˈnyu- /

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See synonyms for numen on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural nu·mi·na

[noo-muh-nuh, nyoo-]. /ˈnu mə nə, ˈnyu-/.

divine power or spirit; a deity, especially one presiding locally or believed to inhabit a particular object.

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Origin of numen

1620–30; <Latin nūmen a nod, command, divine will or power, divinity; akin to nūtāre to nod the head in commanding or assent

Words nearby numen

numbfish, numbing, numbles, numbskull, numdah, numen, numerable, numeracy, numeraire, numeral, numeral system

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use numen in a sentence

Another of the oaths prescribed by command of Caligula was “per numen Drusillæ.”
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
The populus was the tree of Hercules, and the plane-tree was the “numen of Atridæ.”
Cultus Arborum|Anonymous
Nil praeter nubes et coeli numen adorant.They worship clouds and firmament alone.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 3 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
At id neque fleri potest, neque Christi sanctissimum numen approbat.
The Lusiad|Lus de Cames

The universe is directed by a ‘vis animae divina’ or ‘divinum numen’ (i. 250, 491).
The Student's Companion to Latin Authors|George Middleton

British Dictionary definitions for numen

numen

/ (ˈnjuːmɛn) /

noun plural -mina (-mɪnə)

(esp in ancient Roman religion) a deity or spirit presiding over a thing or place

a guiding principle, force, or spirit

Word Origin for numen

C17: from Latin: a nod (indicating a command), divine power; compare nuere to nod

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

numen

Origin of numen

Words nearby numen

Words related to numen

How to use numen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for numen

Word Origin for numen