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A diva is a great female opera singer, a prima donna, such as Renata Tebaldi, Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Maria Callas or Kiri te Kanawa.

However the term now is also used to refer an outstanding popular female performer of non-operatic works such as Whitney Houston, Madonna,Patti Labelle Cher, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin who are often referred to as Divas due to their success and talent.

DIVA is also the term used for the new Digital Interactive Video Arcade, which is a digital arcade system hitting the world in 2008.

Also, some prominent women adored in gay men pop culture are referred to as divas, such as Kathy Griffin, Joy Behar and Joan Rivers.

The term was originally used to describe a woman of rare, outstanding talent. It derives from the Italian word 'divina', meaning "divine" (feminine form), which, in turn derives from the feminine form of a Latin word divus/diva, meaning "divine one." TIME magazine observed in its October 21, 2002 issue: "By definition, a diva was originally used for great female opera singers, almost always sopranos." In mythology, the divas are the lowest forms of divinity, such as the wood nymphs^{[citation needed]}.

In ballet the equivalent of a diva is known as a prima ballerina assoluta.

The term often is used with a negative connotation. This derives from the implication that a star who is a "diva" is arrogant, difficult to work with, high-maintenance, manipulative, fussy, highly strung and/or demanding. Professional actors often use this term to describe someone who desires the stage spotlight over others.

The term "prima donna" has similarly entered common usage with exactly the same negative meaning.

The term Diva is also often used in World Wrestling Entertainment to describe its female performers. This includes both performers who are "eye candy" and those possessing quality in-ring skills.

• Deva
• VH1 Divas

• Laughing Bodies, Eccentric Gestures; Retrospective on Female comics and Divas in the films of the 1910s at the Austrian Film Museum
• The New-Diva Disease; TIME Magazine article

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