See Also:

god(1) (iou)



god noun. In branch II now usu. God.
[Old English god (pl. godu neut., godas masc.) = Old Frisian, Old Saxon (Dutch) god masc., Old High German got (German Gott) masc., Old Norse goe neut. (as branch I), gue masc. and neut. (as branch II), Gothic guT (pl. guda neut.), from Germanic, prob. ult. from Indo-European, repr. by Sanskrit hu- invoke the gods.]
I.
A superhuman person regarded as having power over nature and human fortunes; a deity. Also, the deity of a specified area of nature, human activity, etc. OE.
Milton By combat to decide whose God is God, Thine or whom I with Israel's Sons adore. Day Lewis Pietasa habit of respect for gods, ancestors, parents, country. D. Cupitt The gods have set bounds which cannot be overstepped with impunity. Health Shopper The Romans dedicated the garlic bulb to Mars, the god of war.
An image or object (as a plant or an animal) worshipped as symbolizing or constituting the visible habitation of a divinity or as itself possessing divine power; an idol. OE.
Pope Statues, dirty Gods, and Coins. R. Graves The Romans trusted to their own visible tutelary gods, the golden Eagles of their legions.
transf.
a. An adored, admired, or supremely powerful person. OE.
Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet Swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry. F. Pollock The ruling gods of the circulating libraries.
b. An adored or worshipped object; something exercising great or supreme influence. L16.
P. Sidney Like a man whose will was his God, and his hand his law.
Theatrical. In pl. (The occupants of) the gallery. M18.
H. Rosenthal It was a wonderful experience to be downstairs instead of in the gods.
II.
spec. In Jewish and Christian theology, the supreme being, regarded as the creator and ruler of the universe. Freq. as interjection & in exclamatory phrs. expressive (a) of a strong desire for the benefit or injury of a particular person or thing, as in God bless (you), God curse him, God damn her, God preserve you, etc.); (b) of asseveration, as in as God sees me, as God is my judge, etc.; (c) of astonishment or shock, as in God bless me, my God, etc.; (d) of imprecation, as in God blast (it) etc.; (e) of outrage, pain, or anger, as in good God, my God, etc.; (f) of exasperation, as in for God's sake etc.; (g) of pleasure or relief, as in God be thanked, thank God, etc.; or (h) of (urgent) supplication, as in God forbid, please God, etc. Also in phrs. with possessive combinations expressive of asseveration or adjuration, as in God's blood, God's bodikins, God's lid, God's wounds, etc., and formerly freq. with altered or fabricated words not otherwise found, as in God's sonties etc. OE.
Hobbes God, in which is contained Father, King, and Lord. C. V. Wedgwood The idea that he could be tried and condemned by the people over whom God had placed him. Times According to Jewish custom, the name of the Deity is written G-d out of respect.
In any of various monotheistic systems of belief, a sole divine creator and ruler of the universe, esp. (and orig.) as opp. to deities exalted by other faiths. Also, such a being as seen in a particular aspect or function in relation to the universe. OE.
H. A. L. Fisher His Universal God was an Arab, and Mecca was his Holy City. C. H. Cooley The actual God of many Americans..is simply the current of American life.
Phrases etc. (see also sense 5 above): act of God (an instance or the result of) the operation of uncontrollable natural forces. a feast fit for the gods, a feast for the gods, a sight fit for the gods, a sight for the gods, etc., something exquisite, a supremely pleasing prospect. blind god: see BLIND adjective. by guess and by God: see GUESS noun. find God: see FIND verb. God-a-mercy interjection & noun (arch.) (a) interjection may God reward you; (b) noun an expression of approval or gratitude. God bless: see BLESS verb1. God bless the mark: see MARK noun1. God defend: see DEFEND verb. God forbid: see FORBID verb. god from the machine = DEUS EX MACHINA. God help (you): see HELP verb. God is for the big battalions: see BATTALION noun 1. God knows: see KNOW verb. God of the gaps God as an explanation of the unaccountable. God save the mark: see MARK noun1. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the persons of the Trinity. God willing if Providence allows. God wot arch. God knows. Greek god: see GREEK adjective. Hottentot god: see HOTTENTOT noun & adjective. HOUSEHOLD gods. house of God: see HOUSE noun1. in God's name: see NAME noun. in the lap of the gods beyond human control. like the wrath of God: see WRATH noun. little tin god: see TIN noun & adjective. Lord God: see LORD noun 5. Lord God of hosts: see HOST noun1. Mother of God: see MOTHER noun1. on the knees of the gods beyond human control. play God seek to be or behave as if all-powerful. put the fear of God into: see FEAR noun1. so help me God: see HELP verb. Son of God: see SON noun1. thank God: see THANK verb. the City of God: see CITY 2. the Scourge of God: see SCOURGE noun 2. the voice of God: see VOICE noun. tin god: see TIN noun & adjective. under God excepting the power and agency of God. wait on God: see WAIT verb. walk with God: see WALK verb1 6. with God dead and in heaven. ye gods (and little fishes) interjection (mock-heroic) expr. amazement, disbelief, etc.
Comb.: God-awful adjective (slang, orig. US) extremely unpleasant, frightful; God-box slang a church or other place of worship; godchild a person (usu. a child) sponsored at baptism by a godparent or godparents, esp. as considered in relation to his or her godparents; god-daughter a female godchild; Godfearing adjective that fears God; deeply religious; God-forsaken adjective devoid of all merit, dismal; godmamma (nursery & colloq., esp. as a form of address) godmother; godpapa (nursery & colloq., esp. as a form of address) godfather; God's Acre [German Gottesacker 'God's seed-field' in which the bodies of the dead are 'sown' (1 Corinthians 15:36-44)] a churchyard; God's blood!: see BLOOD noun; God's bodikins: see sense 5 above; God's book the Bible; God's country = God's own country below; God's earth the whole earth; God's gift (freq. iron.) a godsend; God slot slang a period in a broadcasting schedule regularly reserved for religious programmes; godson a male godchild; God's own country an earthly paradise, esp. (freq. joc.) the US regarded as such; God's penny [translating medieval Latin denarius Dei (whence French denier a dieu, Du godspenning, German Gottespfennig)] (now dial.) a small sum given as earnest-money; God squad slang (the members of) a religious organization, esp. an evangelical Christian group; God's sonties: see sense 5 above; God's wounds: see WOUND noun.
goddize verb trans. (long rare) make into or treat as a god, deify L16.
godkin noun (now rare) = GODLING E19.
godlet noun = GODLING L19.
godness noun (a) = GODHEAD; (b) rare divine element or nature: ME.
godship noun (freq. joc.) the position or personality of a god (chiefly with possess. pronoun) M16.
Godward adverb (a) in the direction of God, towards God; (b) in relation to God, with respect or reference to God: LME.
Godwards adverb = Godward M16.