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Origin and history of deity

deity(n.)

c. 1300, deite, "divine nature, godhood, attributes of a god;" late 14c., "a god, God, the Supreme Being or self-existing spirit," from Old French deité, from Late Latin deitatem (nominative deitas) "divine nature," coined by Augustine from Latin deus "god," from PIE *deiwos "god," from root *dyeu- "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god." From 1580s as "a being to whom a divine or godlike nature is attributed."

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to deity

homineity(n.)

"the essential quality of mankind, what makes us human," 1650s, according to OED, from Latin homo (genitive hominis) "man" (see homunculus) based on deity.

*dyeu-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god."

It might form all or part of: adieu; adios; adjourn; Asmodeus; circadian; deific; deify; deism; deity; deodand; deus ex machina; deva; dial; diary; Diana; Dianthus; diet (n.2) "assembly;" Dioscuri; Dis; dismal; diurnal; diva; Dives; divine; joss; journal; journalist; journey; Jove; jovial; Julia; Julius; July; Jupiter; meridian; Midi; per diem; psychedelic; quotidian; sojourn; Tuesday; Zeus.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit deva "god" (literally "shining one"); diva "by day;" Avestan dava- "spirit, demon;" Greek delos "clear;" Latin dies "day," deus "god;" Welsh diw, Breton deiz "day;" Armenian tiw "day;" Lithuanian dievas "god," diena "day;" Old Church Slavonic dini, Polish dzień, Russian den "day;" Old Norse tivar "gods;" Old English Tig, genitive Tiwes, name of a god.

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    divinity
    c. 1300, "science of divine things, theology;" late 14c., "quality or character of being divine," also "a divine being, God," from Old French devinité (12c.), from Latin divinitatem (nominative divinitas), from divinus "of a god," from divus "of or belonging to a god, inspired, p
    god
    also God; Old English god "supreme being, deity; the Christian God; image of a god; godlike person," from Proto-Germanic *guthan (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Dutch god, Old High German got, German Gott, Old Norse guð, Gothic guþ), which is of uncertain origin; perhaps
    immortal
    late 14c., "deathless," from Latin immortalis "deathless, undying" (of gods), "imperishable, endless" (of fame, love, work, etc.), from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + mortalis "mortal" (from PIE root *mer- "to rub away, harm," also "to die" and forming
    sacrifice
    c. 1300, "to offer (something, to a deity) as an expression of thanks, devotion, penitence, etc., from sacrifice (n.)....The intransitive sense of "offer a sacrifice, make offerings to a deity" is from late 13c....It has driven out sacrify "offer a sacrifice to a deity, perform sacrificial rites" (Middle English sacrifien, c. 1300),...
    Baal
    name of a Semitic solar deity worshiped, especially by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, "with much license and sensuality...Biblical, from Late Latin Baal, Greek Baal, from Hebrew Ba'al, literally "owner, master, lord," a title applied to any deity...(including Jehovah; see Hosea ii.16), but later a name of the particular Phoenician solar deity; from ba'al "he took possession...
    voodoo
    African origin, 1850, from Louisiana French voudou, from a West African language (such as Ewe and Fon vodu "spirit, demon, deity...," also Vandoo, supposedly the name of an African deity, from a language of Dahomey)....
    avatar
    1784, "descent of a Hindu deity to earth in an incarnate or tangible form," from Sanskrit avatarana "descent" (of a deity...
    zombie
    also zombi, jumbie, 1788, possibly representing two separate words, one relating to the dead and the other to authority figures, but if so historically these were not kept distinct in English-speaking usage. The oldest attested sense in English is "'spirits of dead wicked men [..
    stain
    mid-14c., steinen, "ornament with a design;" late 14c., "damage or blemish the appearance of," also "impart color, dye;" the word is probably a merger of Old Norse steina "to paint, color, stain," and a shortened form of Middle English disteynen "to discolor or stain," from Old F
    saint
    early 12c. as an adjective, seinte, "holy, divinely inspired, worthy of worship," used before proper names (Sainte Marian Magdalene, etc.), from Old French saint, seinte "holy, pious, devout," from Latin sanctus "holy, consecrated," past participle of sancire "consecrate" (see sa

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