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

Eight years ago, Daniel Ridge launched a legal battle against his former employer for dismissing him from his job at a county morgue while at the same time fighting his own mental health demons.

From Los Angeles Times

The Trump prodding didn't end with the cold open, as the show went on to imagine the Trump family fighting their demons at a high-end resort in the glitzy parody "The White Potus."

From Salon

I had entered a kind of demon mode, manically grabbing things off hangers and throwing them on the floor.

From Los Angeles Times

They exorcised their rivalry demons by defeating the Trojans in the Big Ten tournament for their first conference tournament championship since 2006.

From Los Angeles Times

The crusty bounty hunter was murdered during an attempted bust, but is resurrected by Satan and given a new assignment: tracking down demons who have escaped from Hell.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fiend
• malignant spirit
• monster
• vampire
• villain