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Webster 1913 Edition

Demon

De′mon

,
Noun.
[F.
démon
, L.
daemon
a spirit, an evil spirit, fr. Gr.
δαίμων
a divinity; of uncertain origin.]
1.
(Gr. Antiq.)
A spirit, or immaterial being, holding a middle place between men and deities in pagan mythology.
The
demon
kind is of an intermediate nature between the divine and the human.
Sydenham.
2.
One’s genius; a tutelary spirit or internal voice;
as, the
demon
of Socrates
.
[Often written
dæmon
.]
3.
An evil spirit; a devil.
That same
demon
that hath gulled thee thus.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Demon

DEMON

,
Noun.
A spirit, or immaterial being, holding a middle place between men and the celestial deities of the Pagans. The ancients believed that there were good and evil demons, which had influence over the minds of men, and that these beings carried on an intercourse between men and gods, conveying the addresses of men to the gods, and divine benefits to men. Hence demons became the objects of worship. It was supposed also that human spirits, after their departure from the body, became demons, and that the souls of virtuous men, if highly purified, were exalted from demons into gods. The demons of the New Testament were supposed to be spiritual beings which vexed and tormented men. And in general , the word, in modern use, signifies an evil spirit or genius, which influences the conduct or directs the fortunes of mankind.

Definition 2024

demon

demon

See also: démon, dēmon, dêmon, and demön

English

Alternative forms

  • daemon, dæmon (typically only used today for the sense of 'a Greek or Roman godling, chiefly British')
  • daimon (typically only used in the sense of 'inner spirit' or 'personal guardian')

Noun

demon ‎(plural demons)

  1. An evil spirit.
  2. A fallen angel or Satanic divinity; a false god.
  3. One’s inner spirit or genius, a daimon.
  4. (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) A genius, a lar, the protective spirit or godling of a place, household, or individual.
  5. A foible; a flaw in a person’s character.
    The demon of stupidity haunts me whenever I open my mouth.
  6. Someone of remarkable or diabolical energy or ability.
    He’s a demon at the card tables.
  7. (figuratively) Anything with malevolent effects.
    the demon drink
  8. Slang: a zealot for something, can be affectionate.
    He's a real speed-demon when he skis.

Usage notes

The original Greek and Roman meanings often employ synonyms or the variant spellings daimon or daemon to differentiate them from the more common ecclesiastical sense.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:ghost

Related terms

Translations

See also

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: de‧mon

Etymology

From Latin daemon ‎(“lar, genius, guardian spirit”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων ‎(daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”).

Noun

demon m ‎(plural demonen or demons)

  1. demon

Finnish

Noun

demon

  1. Genitive singular form of demo.

Latin

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈdeː.mon/, [ˈdeː.mõ]

Noun

dēmon m

  1. accusative singular of dēmos

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δαίμων ‎(daímōn).

Noun

demon m ‎(definite singular demonen, indefinite plural demoner, definite plural demonene)

  1. a demon

Related terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δαίμων ‎(daímōn).

Noun

demon m ‎(definite singular demonen, indefinite plural demonar, definite plural demonane)

  1. a demon

Related terms

References

Polish

Etymology

From Latin daemon ‎(“lar, genius, guardian spirit”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων ‎(daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈd̪ɛmɔn̪/

Noun

demon m anim

  1. demon

Declension

Derived terms

Romanian

Etymology

From Greek δαίμονας ‎(daímonas).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈdemon]

Noun

demon m ‎(plural demoni)

  1. demon
  2. (figuratively) a despicable person

Declension

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Greek δαίμονας ‎(daímonas).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /děmoːn/
  • Hyphenation: de‧mon

Noun

dèmōn m ‎(Cyrillic spelling дѐмо̄н)

  1. demon

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology

From Latin daemon ‎(“lar, genius, guardian spirit”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων ‎(daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdiː.mən/

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