/day"euhs eks mah"keuh neuh, dee"euhs eks mak"euh neuh/
1. (in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot.
2. any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot.
[ 1690-1700; apò mechanês theós (Demosthenes), theòs ek mechanês (Menander), etc. ]