English

Alternative forms

• dæmon

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdiːmən/
• Rhymes: -iːmən
• Hyphenation: dae‧mon

Noun

daemon ‎(plural daemons)

1. (uncommon) Alternative form of demon.

Derived terms

• daemonic

Related terms

• cacodaemon
• cacodaemonic
• cacodaemoniacal
• cacodemon
• cacodemonic
• daimon

Etymology 2

From Maxwell's demon; a derivation from “disk and execution monitor” is generally considered a backronym.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdiːmən/ or IPA^(key): /ˈdeɪmən/
• Rhymes: -iːmən or Rhymes: -eɪmən
• Hyphenation: dae‧mon

Noun

daemon ‎(plural daemons)

1. (computing, Unix) A process (a running program) that does not have a controlling terminal.

Translations

Usage notes

• (Unix): Often a daemon will be a server.

See also

• background process

Anagrams

• moaned
• Modena

Japanese

Romanization

daemon

1. rōmaji reading of ダエモン

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δαίμων ‎(daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈdae̯.mon/, [ˈdae̯.mõ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛ.mon/, [ˈdɛː.mon]

Noun

daemon m ‎(genitive daemōnis); third declension

1. a genius loci, a lar, the protective spirit or godling of a place or household
2. (astrology) the 11th of the 12 signs of the zodiac
3. (ecclesiastical) a demon

Inflection

Third declension i-stem.

Derived terms

• daemonicus

Related terms

• daemonium

Descendants

• English: daemon, demon
• Portuguese: demo

References

• daemon in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• DAEMON in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “daemon”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• daemon in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia
• daemon in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers