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demonic

or dae·mon·ic

[dih-mon-ik]
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adjective
  1. inspired as if by a demon, indwelling spirit, or genius.
  2. demoniac(def 1).
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Also de·mon·i·cal.

Origin of demonic

1655–65; < Late Latin daemonicus < Greek daimonikós, equivalent to daimon- demon- + -ikos -ic
Related formsde·mon·i·cal·ly, adverbsu·per·de·mon·ic, adjective

Synonyms

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1. frantic, frenzied, obsessed, possessed.

daemon

[dee-muh n]
noun
  1. Classical Mythology.
    1. a god.
    2. a subordinate deity, as the genius of a place or a person's attendant spirit.
  2. a demon.
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Also daimon.

Origin of daemon

< Latin daemōn a spirit, an evil spirit < Greek daímōn a deity, fate, fortune; compare daíesthai to distribute
Related formsdae·mon·ic [dih-mon-ik] /dɪˈmɒn ɪk/, dae·mon·is·tic [dee-muh-nis-tik] /ˌdi məˈnɪs tɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for daemonic

Historical Examples

  • There is in the music a daemonic quality, inherent in the subject, that somehow vanishes with the concrete tale.

    Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies

    Philip H. Goepp

  • That which I called the daemonic I had encountered for the first time outside my own mind in Lermontof's hero.

  • I was daemonic in giving myself this reply it seemed to me that I had solved the riddle of my nature.

  • Wherein the 'daemonic element,' that lurks in all human things, may doubtless, some once in the thousand years—get vent!

    The French Revolution

    Thomas Carlyle

  • National Death; or else some preternatural convulsive outburst of National Life;—that same, daemonic outburst!

    The French Revolution

    Thomas Carlyle

British Dictionary definitions for daemonic

demonic

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a demon; fiendish
  2. inspired or possessed by a demon, or seemingly sodemonic laughter
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Derived Formsdemonically, adverb

daemon

daimon

noun
  1. a demigod
  2. the guardian spirit of a place or person
  3. a variant spelling of demon (def. 3)
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Derived Formsdaemonic (diːˈmɒnɪk), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for daemonic

daemon

n.

alternative spelling (in specialized senses) of demon (q.v.). Related: Daemonic.

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demonic

adj.

1660s, from Latin daemonicus, from daemon (see demon). Demonical is from late 15c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper