dĕus, i (voc. sing. deus, Vulg. Psa. 22, 3 al.; but, dee, Tert. adv. Marc. 1, 29; Prud. Hamart. 931; cf. Prob. Inst. Art. 532, p. 340. The nom. plur. is di and dei; dii is freq. in MSS., but prob. indicates only the length of the ī. Di alone is found in Verg. and Hor.; di and dei indifferently in post-Aug. poets.—Gen.: deōrum and deum. —Poet. also, divum or divom, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 5, 10, 65; Cic. N. D. 2, 2, 4; Ter. Ad. 746; Verg. A. 1, 46 et saep.; Hor. Od. 1, 2, 25 al.—Dat.: dis or diis, usually monosyl.; and, deis, mostly postAug.; also, DIBVS, Inscr. Orell. 1307; 1676; 3091; 3413; and DIIBVS, ib. 2118; 4608.—As monosyllable, deus, Plaut. Am. prol. 53: deorum, dissyl. id. ib. 45; but dĭī, Luc. 4, 493: dĕī, id. 4, 519: dĕīs, Val. Fl. 7, 29), m. [root in Sanscr.: dī, div- (dyu-), to gleam: dyāus (Gr. Ζεύς), heaven: dévas, God; cf. Gr. διος, εὐδία; but not θεός, Curt. Gr. etym. 503 sqq.]. a god, a deity (for syn. cf.: divus, numen).
I Prop., Cic. N. D. 1, 22 sq.; id. Tusc. 1, 26, 65 sq.; Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 14: qualem te patriae custodem di genuerunt, etc., Enn. ap. Cic. Rep. 1, 41 (Ann. v. 116 sq. ed Vahl.): ab Jove ceterisque dis deabusque immortalibus ... deorum immortalium numen, Cic. Rab. perd. 2, 5 et innum. al.—
B Special combinations.
1 Forms of ejaculation: di, Ter. And. 232; id. Phorm. 740: di boni, id. And. 338; id. Eun. 225; Cic. Att. 6, 6 fin. al.: di immortales, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 299; id. Ep. 5, 1, 21; Ter. Eun. 232; Cic. Fin. 2, 28 fin. et saep.; cf.: pro di immortales, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 190; Ter. Ad. 447: di magni, Ov. F. 6, 187: di deaeque, Plin. H. N. prooem. § 24: di vostram fidem, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 78; id. Trin. 2, 4, 190; Ter. And. 716; 744 al. (for which in full: di, obsecro vostram fidem, Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 78); cf.: pro deum atque hominum fidem, Ter. And. 237; id. Hec. 198 al.; and ellipt.: pro deum immortalium, Ter. Phorm. 351.—
2 Forms of wishing (well or ill), greeting, asseveration, etc.: di bene vortant, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 101; Ter. Ad. 728; and in the order: di vortant bene, Ter. Eun. 389; id. Hec. 196: utinam di faxint ut, ne, etc., Plaut. Am. 2, 1, 85; Ter. Heaut. 161; cf.: ita di deaeque faxint, id. Hec. 102: di faciant, ut, ne, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 35; 2, 5, 13: di prohibeant, Ter. And. 568; cf.: di averruncent, Att. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 2 A, 1; and: quod di omen avertant, the gods forbid , Cic. Phil. 3, 14, 35: di melius faciant, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 81; cf.: di melius duint, Ter. Phorm. 1005: di meliora ferant, Tib. 3, 4, 1: di meliora velint, Ov. M. 7, 37; also ellipt.: di meliora, God forbid! Cic. Phil. 8, 3, 9; id. de Sen. 14, 47; Liv; 39, 10 et saep.; and di melius, Ov. H. 3, 125; Sen. Ep. 98 med. : dent tibi di multa bona, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 80; cf. id. ib. 3, 3, 54; id. Trin. 5, 2, 28; Ter. Ad. 978: di te servassint, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 64; id. Trin. 2, 2, 103 et saep.: di me servatum volunt, Plaut. Men. 5, 9, 61; id. Trin. 4, 3, 69 et saep.: di te perduint (perdant), Plaut. As. 2, 4, 61; id. Ps. 4, 7, 129; Ter. Eun. 301 al.; cf.: di te eradicent, Ter. And. 761; id. Heaut. 589; and: di tibi male faciant, id. Phorm. 394; Cic. Fam. 11, 21 al.: di te ament (amabunt), as a form of greeting, God bless you! Plaut. Most. 1, 4, 27; 3, 2, 28; id. Men. 2, 2, 6 al.: ita me di ament (amabunt), so help me the gods! Plaut. Poen. 1, 3, 30; Ter. And. 947 et saep.; cf.: ita me di bene ament, id. Eun. 615; id. Phorm. 165: per deos immortales, by the immortal gods! Cic. Phil. 3, 14: per deos, id. Off. 2, 2 al.: cum dis volentibus, by the gods’ help , Enn. in Cic. Off. 1, 12, 38 (Ann. v. 207 ed. Vahl.); Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 41; id. Pers. 3, 1, 4; cf.: dis volentibus, God willing , Sall. 3, 14, 19: si dis placet, if it please the gods , Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 94; for which: si di volent, id. Poen. 4, 2, 88; more freq.: si dis placet, ironically or contemptuously, an't please the gods; if you please; forsooth , Ter. Eun. 919; Cic. Pis. 16 fin. ; Liv. 6, 40; 34, 32; Quint. 8, 3, 44; Flor. 3, 4, 1 al.: di hominesque, i. e. all the world, every body , Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 19; Sall. C. 15, 4; Liv. 3, 17; 3, 19 al.: dis hominibusque invitis, in spite of every body , Cic. Vatin. 16, 38; id. Q. Fr. 3, 2, 1.—
C Esp.
1 In poets sometimes a goddess; cf. Gr. θεός: ducente deo (sc. Venere), Verg. A. 2, 632: audentes deus ipse juvat (sc. Fortuna), Ov. M. 10, 586; Macr. Sat. 3, 8; cf. of Aurora, Cat. ap. Cic. N. D. 1, 28 fin. ; of Alecto, Verg. A. 7, 498 (but in all these passages, some regard deus as absol. , = τὸ θεῖον, the divinity , Heyne ad Verg. A. 2, 632).—
2 Of Bacchus, Verg. A. 9, 337; 1, 636.—
D In eccl. Lat., esp. the God of the Hebrews and Christians, God : Deus summus, Lact. 1, 1: omnipotens, Vulg. Gen. 17, 1 et passim. Also of the Son of God, God the Son, Christ : Deus pater et Deus filius, Lact. 4, 29, 1; Vulg. Johan. 1, 1 al.
II Transf., of highly distinguished or fortunate persons: te in dicendo semper putavi deum, Cic. Or. 1, 23, 106; cf. id. ib. 2, 42, 179: facio te apud illum deum, Ter. Ad. 535: audiamus Platonem quasi quendam deum philosophorum, Cic. N. D. 2, 12; cf.: deus ille noster Plato, id. Att. 4, 16, 3: ubi nunc nobis deus ille magister, Eryx, Verg. A. 5, 392: deos quoniam propius contingis (i. e. Augustus and Maecenas), Hor. S. 2, 6, 52: deus sum, si hoc ita est, Ter. Hec. 843; cf.: sum deus, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 11; esp. of great patrons or protectors, a guardian god : Lentulus consul, parens deus, salus nostrae vitae, Cic. post Red. ad Quir. 5, 11: Lentulus, cujus pater deus ac parens nominis mei, id. Sest. 69, 144.—Hence freq. in inscriptions and on coins of the period of the empire, as an epithet of the emperors : DEO AUG., Inscr. Orell. 609 et saep.; cf. Nem. Venat. 71; Calp. Ecl. 7.