May 26, 2011

Word of the Day: Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina \DAY-uhs-eks-MAH-kuh-nuh\ noun

1.  In ancient Greek and Roman drama, a god introduced by means of a crane to unravel and resolve the plot.


2. Any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an apparently insoluble difficulty.

Orign:  Deus ex machina is New Latin for "god from the machine"; it is a translation of the Greek theos ek mekhanes.

 

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