diva
Meaning
A famous female singer of opera or popular music, especially one who is admired for her great skill and strong personality.
A woman who behaves as if she is very special or important, often by being difficult to please.
Structure
Usage
She was the reigning diva of the Metropolitan Opera for a decade.
The pop diva's new album topped the charts in over thirty countries.
He accused her of acting like a diva when she demanded a specific brand of mineral water.
Etymology
The word 'diva' originates directly from the Italian noun 'diva', meaning 'goddess'. Italian borrowed this term from the Latin feminine form 'diva', the female counterpart of 'divus' (meaning 'divine' or 'a god'). This Latin root traces back to the Proto-Indo-European base dyew-, meaning 'to shine' or 'sky', which is also the source for words like 'deity', 'divine', and the name 'Zeus'. The modern meaning evolved from its literal sense of 'goddess' to first describe a celebrated female opera singer, implying she was worshipped like a deity by audiences, and later extended metaphorically to any woman perceived as demanding or temperamental in a manner befitting such elevated status.
Analysis
- div: From Latin divus (divine, deity, god). Functions as the core root conveying the sense of divinity. - a: A Latin feminine singular noun suffix, indicating the word refers to a female entity.