diva

[William Hupy]

I believe the root for this goes way back and somehow that root became twisted from God in PIE and Latin (deus) to a bitchy woman.

[Perry Lassiter]

I don't think all uses of diva imply a bitch or bitchiness. My impression has always been that in opera the leading ladies are divas. A further impression is that in Hollywood a diva is what you are thinking of. She thinks she's entitled. In between I've seen TV call the major country and pop stars by divas.

[Philip Hudson]

My mother was a locally well-known singer. In her youth her friends called her the Prima Donna. She enjoyed the adulation. I don't think my mother ever heard the word diva. As a diva, I picture Lady Ga Ga, not Mom. The dictionaries give room for a positive as well as a negative use of diva.