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deism

 [dee-iz-uhm]   Example Sentences Origin

de·ism

   [dee-iz-uhm]
noun
1.
belief in the existence of a God on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation (distinguished from theism).
2.
belief in a God who created the world but has since remained indifferent to it.
Origin:
1675–85; < French déisme < Latin de(us) god + French -isme -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Deism is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Example Sentences
  • There seems to be a modern tendency to turn deism into atheism.
Collins
World English Dictionary
deism (ˈdiːɪzəm, ˈdeɪ-)
 
—n
Compare theism belief in the existence of God based solely on natural reason, without reference to revelation
 
[C17: from French déisme, from Latin deus god]
 
'deist
 
—n, —adj
 
de'istic
 
—adj
 
de'istical
 
—adj
 
de'istically
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

deism
1680s (deist is from 1620s), from Fr. déisme, from L. deus "god" (see Zeus). Until c.1700, opposed to atheism, in a sense where we would now use theism (see theist).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
deism [(dee-iz-uhm)]

The belief that God has created the universe but remains apart from it and permits his creation to administer itself through natural laws. Deism thus rejects the supernatural aspects of religion, such as belief in revelation in the Bible, and stresses the importance of ethical conduct. In the eighteenth century, numerous important thinkers held deist beliefs. (See clockwork universe.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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