Definition of "demiurge" in English

noun

1. (Platonic philosophy) The (usually benevolent) being that created the universe out of primal matter.

   • A demiurge or craftsman god takes pre-existing matter and fashions it in light of the eternal Forms.

2. (Gnosticism) A (usually jealous or outright malevolent) being who is inferior to the supreme being, and sometimes seen as the creator of evil.

3. (figuratively) Something (such as an idea, individual or institution) conceived as an autonomous creative force or decisive power.

4. (historical, Ancient Greece) The title of a magistrate in a number of states of Ancient Greece, and in the city states (poleis) of the Achaean League.