Numen
/ˈnuː.mən/noun
A divine power, presence, or influence believed to inhabit a person, place, object, or natural phenomenon.
Did you know?In Roman religion, a numen was not necessarily a personal deity but the mysterious divine force believed to operate through nature, rulers, places, and rituals.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*neu-
“To nod or give a sign by moving the head; the reconstructed root behind later Latin forms.”
Classical Latin
Latin
nuere
“To nod, especially as a gesture of assent or command.”
Classical Latin
Latin
numen
“A nod, divine will, divine power, or supernatural presence; literally, something expressed through a nod.”
16th Century
Latin
numen
“A divine power or guiding presence, used in learned religious and philosophical writing.”
17th Century
English
numen
“A deity, divine power, or spiritual presence; adopted as a scholarly loanword.”
Modern English
English
numen
“A divine or supernatural presence associated with a person, place, object, or natural force.”