Divinity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dɪˈvɪnɪti/

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being divine, sacred, or godlike; the essence of deity or supreme power
2. The nature of being divine encompasses the attributes of holiness, supremely powerful beings, and the embodiment of spiritual significance
3. The essence of that which is considered godly includes characteristics such as sanctity, supremacy, and profound spiritual meanings

Etymology: Divinity has a Latin root that meant "godlike," but the word we use came into English through Old French, and it pushed aside a native English word. Before "divinity" arrived, English speakers had "godcundnes," an Old English term built from "god" and a suffix meaning "-ness," which means roughly "godness." The Latin-derived word, borrowed through Old French "divinité," won out and took over the sense of divine nature that the native word once carried. The English term is built from "divine," which comes from Latin "divinus," meaning "of a god" or "godlike," plus the suffix "-ity," a common English ending that turns adjectives into abstract nouns, as in "humanity" or "rarity." So the word simply names the quality of being divine. Its Latin source, "divinitas," works the same way, and the two words share the same meaning from start to finish.

Synonyms: deity, god, divine being, spirituality, holiness

Antonyms: mortality, humanity, sinfulness, evil, wickedness