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   de·us ex ma·chi·na

   /ˌdāəs ˌeks ˈmäkənə/

   noun

   • 1. an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.

   Word Origin late 17th century: modern Latin, translation of Greek theos ek mēkhanēs, ‘god from the machinery’. In Greek theater, actors representing gods were suspended above the stage, the denouement of the play being brought about by their intervention.

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