definitions

Satan

[ seyt-n ]
/ ˈseɪt n /

noun

the chief evil spirit; the great adversary of humanity; the devil.

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RELATED WORDS

Lucifer, demon, Mephistopheles, Antichrist, Beelzebub, archfiend, Apollyon

Origin of Satan

before 900; Middle English, Old English < Late Latin < Greek Satân, Satán < Hebrew śātān adversary

Can be confused

Satan satin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for satan

Satan

/ (ˈseɪtən) /

noun

the devil, adversary of God, and tempter of mankind: sometimes identified with Lucifer (Luke 4:5–8)

Word Origin for Satan

Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek, from Hebrew: plotter, from sātan to plot against
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

Culture definitions for satan

Satan

The devil. In the Bible (see also Bible), Satan is identified with the tempter who encourages the fall of Adam and Eve; he is the accuser who torments Job in the hope that he will curse God; the one who offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus will worship him (see Get thee behind me, Satan); and the evil one who puts betrayal in the heart of Judas. Satan will one day be confined in hell, but until then he is free to roam the Earth.

Note

Satan is the power of darkness opposed to the light of Christ; he is thus sometimes referred to as the Prince of Darkness.

Note

Satan has been depicted in many ways: as a man with horns, goat hooves, a pointed tail, a pointed beard, and a pitchfork; as a dragon; and sometimes as an angel with large batlike wings.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.