Deus ex machina ( /ˈdeɪ.əs ɛks ˈmɑːkiːnə/ or /ˈdiː.əs ɛks ˈmækɪnə/ Latin: ”god out of the machine”; plural: dei ex machina) is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is abruptly solved with the unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object, often considered an “act of god.”