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In the Platonic school of philosophy, the Demiurge is a deity who fashions the physical world in the light of eternal ideas. In the Timaeus, Plato credits the Demiurge with taking preexisting materials of chaos and arranging them in accordance with the models of eternal forms. Nowadays, the word demiurge can refer to the individual or group chiefly responsible for a creative idea, as in "the demiurge behind the new hit TV show." Demiurge derives, via Late Latin, from Greek dēmiourgos, meaning "artisan," or "one with special skill." The demi- part of the word comes from the Greek noun dēmos, meaning "people"; the second part comes from the word for worker, ergon. Despite its appearance, it is unrelated to the word urge.

Examples of demiurge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web So maybe the simulator is a little bit like a demiurge. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 28 Jan. 2022 The demiurge behind Galactus, Uatu, the Silver Surfer, the Human Torch, and the Ultimate Nullifier was the story’s writer, Stan Lee. — J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021 The second—and more influential—demiurge of the folk-music microcosm is Bob Dylan, who is also twenty-three. — Mick Stevens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021 The demiurge behind Galactus, Uatu, the Silver Surfer, the Human Torch, and the Ultimate Nullifier was the story’s writer, Stan Lee. — J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021 The second—and more influential—demiurge of the folk-music microcosm is Bob Dylan, who is also twenty-three. — Mick Stevens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021 The demiurge behind Galactus, Uatu, the Silver Surfer, the Human Torch, and the Ultimate Nullifier was the story’s writer, Stan Lee. — J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021 The second—and more influential—demiurge of the folk-music microcosm is Bob Dylan, who is also twenty-three. — Mick Stevens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021 The second—and more influential—demiurge of the folk-music microcosm is Bob Dylan, who is also twenty-three. — Mick Stevens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021 See More

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

History and Etymology for demiurge

borrowed from Late Latin dēmiurgus, borrowed from Greek dēmiourgós, literally, "master of a craft, artisan" (Homeric dēmioergós "one skilled in an art or craft that benefits the community"), contraction of *dēmioworgos, from dḗmios "of the people, public" (adjective derivative of dêmos "people") + *-worgos, ablaut derivative of Indo-European *u̯erǵ- "make, bring about" (whence, as a nominal derivative, Greek érgon "work") — more at demo-, work entry 1

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