duende

[ dwen-de; English doo-en-dey ]

noun

, Spanish.

, plural duen·des [dwen, -des, doo-, en, -deyz]

1. a goblin; demon; spirit.
2. charm; magnetism.

duende

/ duːˈɛndeɪ /

noun

1. inspiration or passion, esp associated with flamenco

Word History and Origins

Origin of duende¹

First recorded in 1685–95 duende fordef 1; 1955–60 duende fordef 2; Spanish, shortened from duen de (casa) “master of (the house)”; duen, variant of dueño “lord, master” (from Latin dominus; dominate ( def ) ) + de de ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of duende¹

C20: Spanish, spirit

Example Sentences

Those words come from his classic lecture on “duende,” the spirit he saw as presiding over Spanish culture — the dark, earthy, imperfect, wild, morbid quality of its greatest art, music and bullfighting.

From New York Times

They walked quickly and without a sound, passing long shadows and the ominous snicker of the mischievous duendes who could take your rucksack just as easily as they could steal your memories.

From Literature

But the duende of flamenco happens — and maybe not by accident — to sound much the same.

From New York Times

The simultaneous fondness for the recurring motifs of speculative fiction and its irreverent mocking of twists and tools that have been done to death are central to this show's duende.

From Salon

Primitive Grace, Mr. Calderon’s company, has adopted as a guiding principle the Spanish writer Federico García Lorca’s theory of “duende,” in which he identified the sources of artistic inspiration.

From New York Times