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

It’s folklore, not unlike believing that you’ve been infected by a duende.

From Nautilus

He can haunt a house as effectually as an old-time ghost, and a Casa del Duende may go begging for other tenants.

From Project Gutenberg

He looked at the duende carefully, and saw that it resembled a very small man with long hair and a white beard.

From Project Gutenberg

The duende gave Mabait two or three isabels6 every day, and by the end of the month he had saved much money.

From Project Gutenberg

Mabait was married to the princess, was crowned king, and lived happily with his friend the duende.

From Project Gutenberg

But occasionally the Duende had the form of a little busy friar, like the Monachiello at Naples.

From Project Gutenberg