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

Here, Shepard publicly wrestled with every demon that family delivered, sorting through toxic masculinity with a rare intelligence and ferocity, determined to, as he said, “destroy the idea of the family drama.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After finally getting help, he freed himself of “the compulsion to destroy myself. But I still had the demons, the anger, the feeling on edge and never feeling secure.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Towering above them, looking like a demon, was the robot.

Read more on Literature

That’s no joke – a scene at the end shows us what happened to this demon’s brain.

Read more on Salon

An anime film about a teenage demon hunter and his dog beat out Walt Disney’s Bruce Springsteen biopic and two other films to take the top slot at the domestic box office this weekend.

Read more on Barron's

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.