demiurgus

English

Etymology

See demiurge.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /diːmɪɜːɡəs/, /dɛ-/
• Hyphenation: de‧mi‧ur‧gus

Noun

demiurgus (plural demiurguses or demiurgi)

1. (chiefly dated) Alternative form of demiurge.

Latin

Alternative forms

• dāmiūrgus

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δημιουργός (dēmiourgós, “craftsman”) after Platonic usage.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /deː.miˈuːr.ɡus/, [d̪eːmiˈuːrɡʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /de.miˈur.ɡus/, [d̪emiˈurɡus]

Noun

dēmiūrgus m (genitive dēmiūrgī); second declension

1. (in some of the Ancient Greek poleis) A chief magistrate.

   tum inter magistratus gentis (‘damiurgos’ vocant; decem numero creantur) certamen nihilo segnius quam inter multitudinem esse.
   Then among the magistrates of the people [of the Aegean League] (called ‘demiurges’; ten were appointed) an argument broke out no less heated than among the crowd. – Liv. 32 22 (written circa 10 BC)

2. Any being that made the universe out of primal matter, demiurge

   lex autem Demiurgum laudare Deum, et ipsi soli servire iubet nobis.
   moreover the law commands us to praise God the Demiurge, and to serve only him. – Irenaeus, Adversus haereses 5 22 (Latin translation of lost Greek original, circa 180 AD)
   Note: it might seem odd that Irenaeus would use the term here given the usual implications, but he is arguing against Gnosis in this work and using Gnostic terminology to do so.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	dēmiūrgus	dēmiūrgī
genitive	dēmiūrgī	dēmiūrgōrum
dative	dēmiūrgō	dēmiūrgīs
accusative	dēmiūrgum	dēmiūrgōs
ablative	dēmiūrgō	dēmiūrgīs
vocative	dēmiūrge	dēmiūrgī

References

• “demiurgus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “demiurgus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• demiurgus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “demiurgus”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray