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 called: daemon.  daimon. 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

These demons gallop through the country on horseback, eagerly waging war with sanity, facts and anyone who scares them — which is pretty much the whole world.

From Salon

Judy Warren must cope with the isolating emotional ramifications of seeing spirits and being targeted by a demon.

From Los Angeles Times

In a 13-7 defeat of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, they finally vanquished those demons.

From Los Angeles Times

This is angels vs. demons — and if we lose this next election, we plunge the nation into a thousand years of darkness.’

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps that heat he feels is not the warmth of success, but the hellfire of the demon’s fury.

From Salon

Related Words

• fiend 
• malignant spirit www.thesaurus.com
• monster 
• vampire 
• villain 

When To Use

What does demon- mean?

Demon- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “demon.” It is used in a few technical terms, especially in theology.Demon- comes from the Greek daimónion, meaning “thing of divine nature” and ultimate source of the English word demon. Among Jewish and Christian writers, daimónion was used to mean “evil spirit.”Demon- is a variant of demono-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use demono- article.