demigod

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See also: demi-god

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

demi- +‎ god. Calque of the Latin semideus (half-god), which is probably a coining by the Roman poet Ovid for less important gods such as dryads.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

demigod (plural demigods)

  1. A half-god or hero; the offspring of a deity and a mortal.
  2. Someone held up for reverence as a supreme example.
    • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Different Views of Youth and Age”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. [], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, [], →OCLC, page 99:
      "Ah! he is one of your idols, I suppose," said Lord Norbourne, with a slight approach to a sneer. "Youth is prone to admire; but it is odd how, in a few years, we discover the defects of our demigods...
    • 2013, The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy:
      He finds, not “demigods” but “ a combative group of exhausted, drunken, broken, petty, partisan, scheming, squabbling, bloviating, sensory-deprived, underoxygenated, fed-up, talked-out, overheated delegates so distraught they threatened violence, secession.

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