demigod

See also: demi-god

English

Alternative forms

demi-god

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛmɪɡɒd/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛmɪɡɑd/

Noun

demigod (plural demigods)

A half-god or hero; the offspring of a deity and a mortal.
Someone held up for reverence as a supreme example.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], OCLC 21345056, page 99:
  "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...

Synonyms

(offspring of a deity and a mortal): half-god, hero

Translations

a half-god or hero

Arabic: نِصْف إِلٰه‎ m (niṣf ʔilāh)
Armenian: կիսաստված (hy) (kisastvac), դյուցազն (hy) (dyucʿazn)
Belarusian: паўбо́г m (paŭbóh)
Bulgarian: полубо́г m (polubóg)
Catalan: semidéu (ca) m, semideessa (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 半神半人 (zh) (bànshénbànrén), 半神 (bànshén)
Czech: polobůh (cs) m
Danish: halvgud c, halvgud c
Dutch: halfgod (nl) m
Estonian: pooljumal
Finnish: puolijumala (fi)
French: demi-dieu (fr) m
German: Halbgott (de) m
Greek: ημίθεος (el) m (imítheos), ήρωας (el) m (íroas)
Ancient: ἡμίθεος m (hēmítheos)
Hungarian: félisten (hu)
Ido: mideo (io)
Italian: semidio (it) m
Japanese: 半神 (はんしん, hanshin)
Kazakh: жартылай құдай (jartylai qūdai)
Korean: 반신반인 (ko) (bansinbanin), 반신 (ko) (bansin)
Latin: sēmideus m
Macedonian: полубог m (polubog)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: halvgud m
Nynorsk: halvgud m
Persian: نیم‌ایزد‎ (nīm-īzad), نیمخدا‎ (nīmxodā)
Polish: półbóg (pl) m
Portuguese: semideus (pt) m
Romanian: semizeu (ro) m
Russian: полубо́г (ru) m (polubóx)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: по̏лубо̄г m
Roman: pȍlubōg (sh) m,
Slovak: poloboh m
Slovene: polbog (sl) m
Spanish: semidiós m
Swahili: nusumungu
Swedish: halvgud c
Turkish: yarıtanrı
Ukrainian: напівбо́г m (napivbóh)
Vietnamese: á thần (vi)
Volapük: (male or female) lafagod (vo)

a lesser deity

Catalan: semidéu (ca) m, semideessa (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 次神 (cìshén)
Danish: halvgud c
Dutch: ^{(please verify)} godje (nl) n, lagere godheid
Finnish: puolijumala (fi)
German: Halbgott (de) m
Greek: ημίθεος (el) m (imítheos)
Hungarian: félisten (hu)
Italian: semidio (it) m
Macedonian: полубожество n (polubožestvo)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: halvgud m
Nynorsk: halvgud m
Polish: bóstwo (pl) n
Portuguese: semideus (pt) m
Russian: божество́ (ru) n (božestvó), полубо́г (ru) m (polubóx), божо́к (ru) m (božók)
Swahili: nusumungu

Anagrams

Megiddo