Deism
/ˈdeɪ.ɪzəm/noun
A belief in the existence of a creator who does not intervene in the universe after creating it.
Did you know?Deism entered English in the 17th century as a philosophical term, and its Greek root theos also gave us words like theology and atheist—proof that even belief systems carry hidden linguistic power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deiwos
“sky-god, shining one”
Ancient Greek
Greek
theos
“god”
Late Latin
Latin
deus
“god”
16th Century
French
deiste
“one who believes in God, especially a rational creator”
17th Century
English
deism
“belief in a creator God, especially one who does not intervene in the world”
Explore more surprising origins