DEMON

devil, fiend, demon, daemon, daimon

(noun) an evil supernatural being

demon

(noun) someone extremely diligent or skillful; “he worked like a demon to finish the job on time”; “she’s a demon at math”

monster, fiend, devil, demon, ogre

(noun) a cruel wicked and inhuman person

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

demon (plural demons)

An evil supernatural spirit.

An evil spirit resident in or working for Hell; a devil. [from 10th c.]

(now, chiefly, historical) A false god or idol; a Satanic divinity. [from 10th c.]

A very wicked or malevolent person; also (in weakened sense) a mischievous person, especially a child. [from 16th c.]

A source (especially personified) of great evil or wickedness; a destructive feeling or character flaw. [from 17th c.]

(in plural) A person's fears or anxieties. [from 19th c.]

A neutral supernatural spirit.

A person's inner spirit or genius; a guiding or creative impulse. [from 14th c.]

(Greek mythology) A tutelary deity or spirit intermediate between the major Olympian gods and mankind, especially a deified hero or the entity which supposedly guided Socrates, telling him what not to do. [from 16th c.]

A spirit not considered to be inherently evil; a (non-Christian) deity or supernatural being. [from 19th c.]

An hypothetical entity with special abilities postulated for the sake of a thought experiment in philosophy or physics.

Someone with great strength, passion or skill for a particular activity, pursuit etc.; an enthusiast. [from 19th c.]

(UK, card games) A form of patience (known as Canfield in the US). [from 19th c.]

Any of various hesperiid butterflies of the genera Notocrypta and Udaspes.

Usage notes

Meanings drawing on the neutral, ancient Greek conception now often distinguish themselves by the variant spellings daimon or daemon.

Synonyms

• (evil spirit): See demon

• (neutral spirit): genius, tutelary deity, see also god and spirit

Hyponyms

• (evil spirit): See demon

Anagrams

• Emond, monde, moned

Etymology

Proper noun

Demon

A male given name from Ancient Greek.

Source: Wiktionary


De"mon, n. Etym: [F. démon, L. daemon a spirit, an evil spirit, fr. Gr.

1. (Gr. Antiq.)

Definition: A spirit, or immaterial being, holding a middle place between men and deities in pagan mythology. The demon kind is of an inSydenham.

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. Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 April 2024

GRADUAL

(noun) (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass


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Coffee Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.

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