Pronunciation: ' d ā - ə s- ˌ eks- ' mä-ki-n ə , - ' ma-, - ˌ nä; -m ə - ' sh ē -n ə
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, a god from a machine, translation of Greek theos ek m ē chan ē s
Date: 1697
1 : a god introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome
2 : a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty