numen

[ noo-min, nyoo- ]

/ ˈnu mɪn, ˈnyu- /

SEE MORE 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.

Words related to numen

accomplishment, endowment, ability, acquirement, bent, attribute, set, capacity, genius, propensity, head, power, specialty, attainment, faculty, instinct, forte, knack, aptness, capability

Words nearby numen

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

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

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

Examples from the Web for numen

Nuere should therefore express a simple exercise of will-power, and numen is the being119 exercising it.
The Religious Experience of the Roman People|W. Warde Fowler
Numen is so important a word in the Roman religion that it is necessary to be perfectly clear as to what was meant by it.
The Religious Experience of the Roman People|W. Warde Fowler
The notion of the numen is always vague and indefinite: even its sex may be uncertain.
The Religion of Ancient Rome|Cyril Bailey
The populus was the tree of Hercules, and the plane-tree was the “numen of Atridæ.”
Cultus Arborum|Anonymous

I do not say that he or any other numen was the better for the change.
The Religious Experience of the Roman People|W. Warde Fowler

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