Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- (in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot.
- any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot.
noun
- (in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the plot
- any unlikely or artificial device serving this purpose
1690s, from Modern Latin translation of Greek theos ek mekhanes, literally “the god from the machina,” the device by which “gods” were suspended over the stage in Greek theater (see machine). The fem. is dea ex machina.