Main Entry: de·us ex ma·chi·na

Pronunciation: \ˈdā-əs-ˌeks-ˈmä-ki-nə, -ˈma-, -ˌnä; -mə-ˈshē-nə\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, a god from a machine, translation of Greek theos ek mēchanēs

Date: 1697

1 : a god introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome
2 : a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty