incubus

American  

[in-kyuh-buhs, ing-] / ˈɪn kyə bəs, ˈɪŋ- /

noun

plural

incubi, incubuses

1. an imaginary demon or evil spirit supposed to descend upon sleeping persons, especially one fabled to have sexual intercourse with women during their sleep.

2. a nightmare.

3. something that weighs upon or oppresses one like a nightmare.

---

incubus British  

/ ˈɪnkjʊbəs /

noun

1. a demon believed in folklore to lie upon sleeping persons, esp to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women Compare succubus

2. something that oppresses, worries, or disturbs greatly, esp a nightmare or obsession

---

Etymology

Origin of incubus

1175–1225; Middle English < Late Latin: a nightmare induced by such a demon, noun derivative of Latin incubāre to lie upon; incubate

Compare meaning

How does incubus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• succubus vs. incubus

Example Sentences

It’s a tough pangram, and the answer list had “incubi,” “nubbin,” “bluebell,” “leucine” and “nucleic.”

From New York Times

Let’s pause here briefly to note that Immanuel is likely referencing incubi and succubi in her sermons.

From The Guardian

All so they can keep expanding, squatting over lives like feudal incubi.

From The Guardian

The woman — girl, really — was physically tiny, not to mention inappropriately dressed for the task of extracting this colossal incubus, this 10-ton Minotaur, from the fourth floor.

From New York Times

For decades, poorly justified scientific fears of future warming have hovered as an incubus over U.S. energy development.

From The Wall Street Journal