DEUS

See also Deus (disambiguation)

Deus is the Latin word for "God" or "deity", derived from Dyēus, the reconstructed chief god of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon, also a cognate of the Greek Ζευς (Zeus). He was the god of the daylit sky, and his position may have mirrored the position of patriarch or king in society. Dei is an inflected form of deus, used in such phrases as Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei (work of God) and Agnus Dei (lamb of God). It is most often the genitive case ("of god"), but can also be a variant of the plural form, di. There is another plural sometimes used, dii, and a feminine form deae ("goddesses").

Thus the word "Deus," through "Dei," is the root of Deism, PanDeism, PanenDeism, and PolyDeism, ironically all of which are theories in which God is (or gods are) absent from participating in human affairs. It is believed this word as a name of God will come into greater currency with the return of portions of the Roman Catholic Mass being said in Latin. [link].

In Arthur C. Clarkes novel , the term Deus has replaced God in the 31st Century. The word God being associated with religious fanaticism. The prevailing religious view in Clarke's story is Deism. This may follow from the trend of modern Deists or believers in other alternative spiritual systems referring to their deity as Deus in order to effect the same distinction. The word also is the translation of "God" in the Portuguese language.