demon

¹

[ dee-muhn ]

noun

1. an evil spirit; devil or fiend.
2. an evil passion or influence.
3. a person considered extremely wicked, evil, or cruel.
4. a person with great energy, drive, etc.:

   He's a demon for work.

5. a person, especially a child, who is very mischievous:

   His younger son is a real little demon.

6. daemon.
7. Australian Slang. a policeman, especially a detective.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or noting a demon.
2. possessed or controlled by a demon.

demon-

²

1. variant of demono- before a vowel:

   demonism.

demon

/ ˈdiːmən /

noun

1. an evil spirit or devil
2. a person, habit, obsession, etc, thought of as evil, cruel, or persistently tormenting
3. Also calleddaemondaimon an attendant or ministering spirit; genius

   the demon of inspiration

4. 1. a person who is extremely skilful in, energetic at, or devoted to a given activity, esp a sport

      a demon at cycling

   2. ( as modifier )

      a demon cyclist

5. a variant spelling of daemon
6. informal.
   a detective or policeman
7. computing a part of a computer program, such as a help facility, that can run in the background behind the current task or application, and which will only begin to work when certain conditions are met or when it is specifically invoked

Word History and Origins

Origin of demon¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin daemonium < Greek daimónion, thing of divine nature (in Jewish and Christian writers, evil spirit), neuter of daimónios, derivative of daímōn; demon ( def 6 ) < Latin; daemon

Word History and Origins

Origin of demon¹

C15: from Latin daemōn evil spirit, spirit, from Greek daimōn spirit, deity, fate; see daemon

Example Sentences

Otherwise, he’s brazenly unconcerned about anything that doesn’t arouse that or the demon in his pants, which has made his character’s developmental journey, in Berry’s view, relatively limited.

From Salon

As it turned out, though, Payne was again fighting his demons.

From Los Angeles Times

It certainly appeared like there were some demons lurking at the back of the mind.

From BBC

“When Jesus came, he came with better understanding. You don't kill people that are possessed or oppressed of demons, you simply cast the demons out,” he says.

From BBC

Of all classic cartoon characters, the most involved with the supernatural and the surreal was Fleischer Studios’ Betty Boop, whose jazzy adventures with spooks and demons can be easily found on YouTube.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fiend
• malignant spirit
• monster
• vampire
• villain