god
UK /ɡɒd/ · US /ɡɑd/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms gods godding godded gawd g-d od
- noun A deity or supreme being; a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers, to which personhood is attributed. “The most frequently used name for the Islamic god is Allah.”
- noun A representation of a deity, especially a statue or statuette.
- noun (figurative) Something or someone particularly revered, worshipped, idealized, admired and/or followed. “Leo Messi is my god!”
- noun (figurative) A person in a very high position of authority, importance or influence; a powerful ruler or tyrant.
- noun (figurative, informal) A person who is exceptionally skilled in a particular activity. “He is the god of soccer!”
- noun (figurative, informal) An exceedingly handsome man. “Lounging on the beach were several Greek gods.”
- noun (Internet, roleplaying games) The person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon.
- verb (transitive) To idolize.
- verb (transitive) To deify.
- proper noun The first deity of various theistic religions, and the only deity in monotheism. “Dawn believes in God, but Willow believes in gods and goddesses.”
- proper noun (Trinitarian Christianity) God the Father as distinguished from Jesus Christ, God the Son.
- proper noun The single male deity of various bitheistic or duotheistic religions.
- proper noun (philosophy) The transcendent principle, for example the ultimate cause or prime mover, often not considered as a person.
- noun A being such as a monotheistic God: a single divine creator and ruler of the universe.
- proper noun Typographical variant of God, particularly in English translations of the Bible.
Synonyms
arch imp godship deity divinity manitou sky daddy sky fairy supreme being LORD immortal idol graven image
Antonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English god, from Old English god, originally neuter, then changed to masculine to reflect the change in religion to Christianity, from Proto-West Germanic *god n, from Proto-Germanic *gudą; see there for further origin.
Cognate with Scots God (“God”), Yola God, Gud (“God”), gud (“god”), Saterland Frisian God (“God”), West Frisian God (“God”), god (“deity, god”), Alemannic German, Cimbrian, German, Luxembourgish and Mòcheno Gott (“God”), Central Franconian Jott (“God”), Dutch god (“deity, god”), Limburgish Gód (“God”), gód (“god”), Vilamovian Göt (“God”), Yiddish גאָט (got, “god; God”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish gud (“god; God”), Faroese Gud (“God”), Icelandic goð (“idol, pagan god”), guð, Guð (“God”), Norwegian Nynorsk Gu, Gud (“God”), gu, gud (“god”), Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐌸 (guþ, “deity, god; God”).
Not related to the word good or Persian خدا (xodâ, “god”).
Derived from Middle English God. From a proprialization of the common noun, god.
See god and God.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Good. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- noun A being conceived of as possessing supernatural power, and to be propitiated by sacrifice, worship, etc.; a divinity; a deity; an object of worship; an idol.
- noun The Supreme Being; the eternal and infinite Spirit, the Creator, and the Sovereign of the universe; Jehovah.
- verb To treat as a god; to idolize. [Obs.] Shak.
Etymology [AS. god; akin to OS. & D. god, OHG. got, G. gott, Icel. gu, go, Sw. & Dan. gud, Goth. gup, prob. orig. a p. p. from a root appearing in Skr. h, p. p. h, to call upon, invoke, implore. Goodbye, Gospel, Gossip.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “god”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details