Translation
divine will, divine power; deity, godhead
Examples
timemus.
We fear the divine power of the gods.
servati .
We were saved by divine power.
.
The divine powers dwell in the temples.
.
Without divine will nothing happens.
.
Nobody understands the power of the godhead.
Numen, numinis is a third declension neuter and it means, literally, a nod. It comes from nuo, "to nod", the verb behind adnuo and abnuo, and a god's nod is a god's assent - so numen is the felt will or operative power of a divinity rather than the divinity as a person. Virgil's quo numine laeso, "what divine power having been slighted", is the line everyone meets.
Two traps. It is one letter from nomen, "name", and both are third declension neuters in -men with the same endings, so numinis and nominis are easy to swap when reading fast. And in later religious Latin numen drifts towards simply meaning "a god", which flattens the original sense. English "numinous" is a coinage of 1917, not an inheritance.
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numen: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "numen" (divine will, divine power; deity, godhead): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 11.