lemures

American  

[lem-yuh-reez, lem-oo-res] / ˈlɛm yəˌriz, ˈlɛm ʊˌrɛs /

plural noun

Roman Religion.

1. ghosts, especially those of a family’s dead, considered troublesome unless exorcised or appeased, as during the annual festival of Lemuralia.

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lemures British  

/ ˈlɛmjʊˌriːz /

plural noun

1. Roman myth the spirits of the dead

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Etymology

Origin of lemures

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin; see origin at lemur

Example Sentences

Morton tells us about Egyptian soul essences — the ka, ba, and akh — and ancient Rome’s demonic lemures and the Icelandic draugar, who were powerful, reanimated corpses.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2015

Somnia, terrores magicos, miracula, sagas, Nocturnos lemures, portentaque Thessala rides?

From Essays and Tales by Morley, Henry

Lemur, the name given to that low family of monkeys, is from the plural Latin word lemures, meaning ghost or spectre.

From The Log of the Sun A Chronicle of Nature's Year by Beebe, William

There is, however, some confusion even among the ancients themselves, as to the respective qualities of the larvæ and lemures.

From The Dance of Death Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a Dissertation on the Several Representations of that Subject but More Particularly on Those Ascribed to Macaber and Hans Holbein by Douce, Francis

The ghosts, or specters of the dead that came back to haunt and terrify the living were called lemures.

From Romulus Makers of History by Abbott, Jacob