Etymology

deus ex machina

Today it means: Any resolution to a story that does not pay due regard to the story's internal logic and that is so unlikely that it challenges suspension of disbelief, and presumably allows the author, director, or developer to end the story in the way that they desired. Full definition →

Latin deus ex māchinā ← Ancient Greek ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · calque ofἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός
  2. Latin · borrowed fromdeus ex māchinā
  3. English todaydeus ex machina

Unadapted borrowing from Latin deus ex māchinā (literally “god from a machine [i.e., a device, scaffolding, contrivance]”), a calque of Ancient Greek ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός (apò mēkhanês theós).

Words from the same roots

Latindeus ex māchinā all →

dea ex machina

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.