[go: up one dir, main page]
Advertisement

Origin and history of Zeus

Zeus

supreme god of the ancient Greeks and master of the others, 1706, from Greek, from PIE *dewos- "god" (source also of Latin deus "god," Old Persian daiva- "demon, evil god," Old Church Slavonic deivai, Sanskrit deva-), from root *dyeu- "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god." The god-sense is originally "shining," but "whether as originally sun-god or as lightener" is not now clear.

also from 1706

Entries linking to Zeus

Agnus Dei(n.)

Late Latin, literally "lamb of God." From c. 1400 in English as the name of the part of the Mass beginning with these words, or (later) a musical setting of it. Latin agnus "lamb" is from PIE *agwh-no- "lamb" (see yean). For deus "god," see Zeus. The phrase is used from 1620s in reference to an image of a lamb as emblematic of Christ; usually it is pictured with a nimbus and supporting the banner of the Cross.

deicide(n.)

1610s, "the killing of a god;" 1650s, "one who kills a god," from stem of Latin deus "god" (see Zeus) + -cida "slayer," from caedere "to kill, to cut down" (from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike").

Advertisement

More to explore

deus
"God, a god," mid-13c. in French and Latin salutations and exclamations in English works, see Zeus. Never nativized, but it continued to appear in adopted Latin expressions such as deus absconditus "hidden god," and deus ex machina "a power, event, person, or thing that arrives c
god
also God; Old English god "supreme being, deity; the Christian God; image of a god; godlike person," from Proto-Germanic *guthan (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Dutch god, Old High German got, German Gott, Old Norse guð, Gothic guþ), which is of uncertain origin; perhaps
Olympic
Also in reference to to Olympia (khōra), a town or district in Elis in ancient Greece with a famous temple of Zeus, where...athletic contests in honor of Olympian Zeus were held 776 B.C.E. and every four years thereafter....
Artemis
(identified by the Romans with their Diana); daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo; her name is of unknown origin...
Jupiter
[de Vaan] Compare Greek Zeu pater, vocative of Zeus pater "Father Zeus;" Sanskrit Dyaus pitar "heavenly father."...
Cybele
Kybelē, an earth-goddess identified by the Greek with their Rhea, daughter of Uranus and Ge, wife of Cronus and mother of Zeus...
Persephone
wife of Hades, queen of the netherworld, identified with Kore, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, from Greek Persephone....
fellowship
c. 1200, feolahschipe "companionship," from fellow + -ship. The sense of "a body of companions" is from late 13c. The meaning "spirit of comradeship, friendliness" is from late 14c. As a state of privilege in English colleges, from 1530s. In Middle English it was at times a euphe
trivia
"trivialities, bits of information of little consequence," by 1932, from the title of a popular book by U.S.-born British aphorist Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) first published in 1902 but popularized in 1918 (with "More Trivia" following in 1921 and a collected edition includ
fortune
c. 1300, "chance, luck as a force in human affairs," from Old French fortune "lot, good fortune, misfortune" (12c.), from Latin fortuna "chance, fate, good luck," from fors (genitive fortis) "chance, luck," possibly ultimately from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry," also "to bear ch

Share Zeus

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near Zeus
Advertisement