What is "act of god"

God \God\ (g[o^]d), n. [AS. god; akin to OS. & D. god, OHG. got, G. gott, Icel. gu[eth], go[eth], Sw. & Dan. gud, Goth. gup, prob. orig. a p. p. from a root appearing in Skr. h[=u], p. p. h[=u]ta, to call upon, invoke, implore. [root]30. Cf. Goodbye, Gospel, Gossip.]

1. A being conceived of as possessing supernatural power, and to be propitiated by sacrifice, worship, etc.; a divinity; a deity; an object of worship; an idol.

   He maketh a god, and worshipeth it.
   --Is. xliv. 15.

   The race of Israel . . . bowing lowly down To bestial gods.
   --Milton.

2. The Supreme Being; the eternal and infinite Spirit, the Creator, and the Sovereign of the universe; Jehovah.

   God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
   --John iv. 24.

3. A person or thing deified and honored as the chief good; an object of supreme regard.

   Whose god is their belly.
   --Phil. iii. 19.

4. Figuratively applied to one who wields great or despotic power. [R.] --Shak. Act of God. (Law) See under Act. Gallery gods, the occupants of the highest and cheapest gallery of a theater. [Colloq.] God's acre, God's field, a burial place; a churchyard. See under Acre. God's house.

   1. An almshouse. [Obs.]

   2. A church.

      God's penny, earnest penny. [Obs.]
      --Beau. & Fl.

      God's Sunday, Easter.

Act \Act\ ([a^]kt), n. [L. actus, fr. agere to drive, do: cf. F. acte. See Agent.]

1. That which is done or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed. That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love. --Wordsworth. [1913 Webster] Hence, in specific uses:

   1. The result of public deliberation; the decision or determination of a legislative body, council, court of justice, etc.; a decree, edit, law, judgment, resolve, award; as, an act of Parliament, or of Congress.

   2. A formal solemn writing, expressing that something has been done.
      --Abbott.

   3. A performance of part of a play; one of the principal divisions of a play or dramatic work in which a certain definite part of the action is completed.

   4. A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student.

2. A state of reality or real existence as opposed to a possibility or possible existence. [Obs.]

   The seeds of plants are not at first in act, but in possibility, what they afterward grow to be.
   --Hooker.

3. Process of doing; action. In act, in the very doing; on the point of (doing). ``In act to shoot.''
   --Dryden.

   This woman was taken . . . in the very act.
   --John viii.

4. Act of attainder. (Law) See Attainder.

   Act of bankruptcy (Law), an act of a debtor which renders him liable to be adjudged a bankrupt.

   Act of faith. (Ch. Hist.) See Auto-da-F['e].

   Act of God (Law), an inevitable accident; such extraordinary interruption of the usual course of events as is not to be looked for in advance, and against which ordinary prudence could not guard.

   Act of grace, an expression often used to designate an act declaring pardon or amnesty to numerous offenders, as at the beginning of a new reign.

   Act of indemnity, a statute passed for the protection of those who have committed some illegal act subjecting them to penalties.
   --Abbott.

   Act in pais, a thing done out of court (anciently, in the country), and not a matter of record.

   Syn: See Action.

alt. (context legal usually "an" English) an unforeseen occurrence beyond one's control, such as a natural disaster n. (context legal usually "an" English) an unforeseen occurrence beyond one's control, such as a natural disaster

n. a natural and unavoidable catastrophe that interrupts the expected course of events; "he discovered that his house was not insured against acts of God" [syn: force majeure, vis major, inevitable accident, unavoidable casualty]

An act of God is a legal term used within the English-speaking world for events outside human control, such as sudden natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible.

" Act of God" is a legal term for events outside of human control.

Act of God or Acts of God may also refer to:

• Miracle, an event attributed to God

Act of God is a studio album by the American Thrash/ speed metal band Znowhite.

Act of God is a 2009 Canadian documentary film that investigates the "metaphysical" effects of being struck by lightning. It was directed by Jennifer Baichwal ( Manufactured Landscapes) and distributed by Zeitgeist Films. The film's world premier was at the 2009 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on 30 April 2009. It went on general release in Canada on 1 May 2009, and limited release in the United States on 31 July 2009. The film's European premiere was at the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on 11 July 2009.