deity

noun de·i·ty \ ˈdē-ə-tē , ˈdā- \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of deity

plural deities

1 a : the rank or essential nature of a god : divinity

b capitalized : god 1, supreme being

2 : a god (see ¹god 2) or goddess

the deities of ancient Greece

3 : one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful

such established American deities as Daniel Boone, Kit Carson
—J. D. Hart

the deities of the banking world

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Examples of deity in a Sentence

to the ancient Greeks, Zeus was the deity who ruled over the sky and weather, and Poseidon was god of the sea
we prayed to the Deity for guidance

Recent Examples of deity from the Web

Last night, Martha Stewart—businesswoman, television host, and all around domestic deity—posted an Instagram that was unexpectedly va-va-voom.

— liana satenstein, Vogue, "Martha Stewart Reminds Us Of Her Modeling Roots in a Glamorous Throwback Instagram," 29 Mar. 2018
Many of the show’s 15 wooden figures of deities are likewise gilded.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "How good is the King Tut exhibition? An art critic weighs in," 29 Mar. 2018
On the seventh day, a consejo, or reading, with a spiritual leader revealed that Lopez’s orisha would be Shango, the powerful Yoruban deity.

— sarah betancourt, Longreads, "The Religion No One Talks About: My Search For Answers in an Old Caribbean Faith," 30 Mar. 2018
About 800 years ago in Iceland, a poet named Snorri Sturluson put pen to parchment to record the already-millennia-old stories of a trickster deity from Norse mythology known as Loki.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Mackenzi Lee is a rising star in YA historical fantasy," 27 Mar. 2018
The Voluspá, a poem composed in approximately 961 A.D., tells of Iceland’s rejection of pagan deities and adoption of a single, Christian god.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "A Violent Volcanic Eruption Immortalized in Medieval Poem May Have Spurred Iceland’s Adoption of Christianity," 23 Mar. 2018
One example of this is at Chichén Itzá, where the Maya crafted a sculpture that transforms itself into a blazing serpent at equinox, representing their deity Kukulcan.

— National Geographic, "Vernal Equinox 2018: Facts About the First Day of Spring," 20 Mar. 2018
The tradition whereby a president bids farewell to his audience by invoking the deity is of relatively recent origin, dating back to Presidents Nixon and Reagan.

— jason pontin, WIRED, "The New New Deal," 13 Mar. 2018
First up, jam-rock deities Phish have announced a three-night run at Eastern Washington’s famed outdoor venue, taking over the Gorge July 20-22.

— michael rietmulder, The Seattle Times, "Phish, Journey and Def Leppard announce Washington shows, more concert news," 26 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of deity

Middle English deitee, from Anglo-French deité, from Late Latin deitat-, deitas, from Latin deus god; akin to Old English Tīw, god of war, Latin divus god, dies day, Greek dios heavenly, Sanskrit deva heavenly, god

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year