/ ˌdeɪʊs eks ˈmækɪnə; NAmE / noun
[ sing. ] ( literary ) an unexpected power or event that saves a situation that seems without hope, especially in a play or novel
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent.: modern Latin , translation of Greek theos ek mēkhanēs , god from the machinery. In Greek theatre, actors representing gods were suspended above the stage, the denouement of the play being brought about by their intervention.