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