machina



deus ex machina

1. A god in an ancient Greek or Roman play that suddenly appears in the storyline in order to solve a problem or decide an outcome. The Latin phrase translates to "god from a machine," referring to the machinery that lowered it onto the stage. The ancient Greek play makes use of a deus ex machina in which Apollo arrives on stage to restore order among the other characters.
2. An ending in a performance or story that seems too contrived to be believable to the audience. Modern critics often pan 1980s-era television shows for the typical deus ex machina that writers often used to neatly wrap up episodes.
See also: deus, ex, machina

a deus ex machina

  (formal)
a way of ending a play or event that seems false and that involves problems being dealt with too easily Shakespeare produces a very unsatisfying deus ex machina in 'The Winter's Tale' when a statue of the queen comes to life.
See also: deus, ex, machina

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Hebel-Hebrew
Clarindaklə-RIN-dəEnglish
Aditya-Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali, Indonesian
JulioHOO-lyo (Spanish), ZHOO-lyoo (Portuguese)Spanish, Portuguese
Ferris['feris]
LennonLEN-ənScottish, English (Rare)