View synonyms for numen

numen

[ noo-min, nyoo- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural nu·mi·na [noo, -m, uh, -n, uh, nyoo, -].

divine power or spirit; a deity, especially one presiding locally or believed to inhabit a particular object.

numen

/ ˈnjuːmɛn /

(esp in ancient Roman religion) a deity or spirit presiding over a thing or place
a guiding principle, force, or spirit

Origin of numen¹

1620–30; < Latin nūmen a nod, command, divine will or power, divinity; akin to nūtāre to nod the head in commanding or assent

Origin of numen¹

C17: from Latin: a nod (indicating a command), divine power; compare nuere to nod

Another of the oaths prescribed by command of Caligula was “per numen Drusillæ.”

The populus was the tree of Hercules, and the plane-tree was the “numen of Atridæ.”

Nil praeter nubes et coeli numen adorant.They worship clouds and firmament alone.

At id neque fleri potest, neque Christi sanctissimum numen approbat.

The universe is directed by a ‘vis animae divina’ or ‘divinum numen’ (i. 250, 491).

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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