EtymologyMap
Back to all words

Trace the journey of words

Today it means

divine

relating to God; excellent

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate

Where does the word "divine" come from? It comes from Latin divinus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "divine" come from? It comes from Latin divinus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Divine’s story begins in Latin: divinus meant “of a god.” From 'divus', god. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as devin. Relating to God. It reached English by 1300s as divine. 'divine' as 'delightful' dates from the 1500s. Today, divine means relating to God; excellent.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient divinus "of a god", from 'divus', god.
  2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval devin "divine", relating to God.
  3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s divine "godly", 'divine' as 'delightful' dates from the 1500s.

Browse by origin