demigod en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈdɛmiɡɒd/ (UK)
- /ˈdɛmiɡɑd/ (US)
Etymology
From 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.
Meanings
- A half-god or hero; the offspring of a deity and a mortal.
-
Someone held up for reverence as a supreme example.
"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...
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:Near-synonyms: hero, icon, idol, exemplar
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.
2013, The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| demigods | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| demi-god | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Demigod · demigodhood · demigodly
Relateds
Synonyms
icon · exemplar · half-god · halfgod · semigod · idol · hero
Translations (70)
sv halvgud (a half-god or hero) · hy դյուցազն (a half-god or hero) · fi puolijumala (a lesser deity) · kk жартылай құдай (a half-god or hero) · el ημίθεος (a half-god or hero) · vi á thần (a half-god or hero) · bg полубо́г (a half-god or hero) · hu félisten (a lesser deity) · ko 반신 (a half-god or hero) · fa نیمایزد (a half-god or hero) · sh по̏лубо̄г (a half-god or hero) · el ήρωας (a half-god or hero) · es semidiós (a half-god or hero) · it semidio (a lesser deity) · mk полубог (a half-god or hero) · uk напівбо́г (a half-god or hero) · nn halvgud (a lesser deity) · nb halvgud (a lesser deity) · io mideo (a half-god or hero) · de Halbgott (a lesser deity) · sw nusumungu (a lesser deity) · ru божество́ (a lesser deity) · cmn 半神半人 (a half-god or hero) · it semidio (a half-god or hero) · ca semidéu (a half-god or hero) · fi puolijumala (a half-god or hero) · ca semidéu (a lesser deity) · nn halvgud (a half-god or hero) · ro semizeu (a half-god or hero) · hu félisten (a half-god or hero) · ja 半神 (a half-god or hero) · ar نِصْف إِلٰه (a half-god or hero) · pl bóstwo (a lesser deity) · sw nusumungu (a half-god or hero) · fa نیمخدا (a half-god or hero) · ru божо́к (a lesser deity) · ko 반신반인 (a half-god or hero) · vo lafagod (a half-god or hero) · ca semideessa (a half-god or hero) · la sēmideus (a half-god or hero) · id setengah dewa (a half-god or hero) · sl polbog (a half-god or hero) · sk poloboh (a half-god or hero) · grc ἡμίθεος (a half-god or hero) · gl semideus (a half-god or hero) · fr demi-dieu (a half-god or hero) · sh pȍlubōg (a half-god or hero) · cs polobůh (a half-god or hero) · ca semideessa (a lesser deity) · vi bán thần (a half-god or hero) · da halvgud (a lesser deity) · tr yarıtanrı (a half-god or hero) · ru полубо́г (a lesser deity) · el ημίθεος (a lesser deity) · be паўбо́г (a half-god or hero) · ru полубо́г (a half-god or hero) · pt semideus (a half-god or hero) · pl półbóg (a half-god or hero) · cmn 次神 (a lesser deity) · eo duondio (a half-god or hero) · da halvgud (a half-god or hero) · hy կիսաստված (a half-god or hero) · mk полубожество (a lesser deity) · nl lagere godheid (a lesser deity) · cmn 半神 (a half-god or hero) · pt semideus (a lesser deity) · nl halfgod (a half-god or hero) · de Halbgott (a half-god or hero) · nb halvgud (a half-god or hero) · et pooljumal (a half-god or hero)