demon
//ˈdiː.mən//
Forms
- Plural
- demons
Definitions
1.An evil supernatural being.
- The demon of stupidity haunts me whenever I open my mouth.
- After a short spell on an adult psychiatric ward, she decided to find her own way to deal with her demons.
2.A neutral supernatural being.
- “You saw her. And I picked her up,” Lyra said, blushing, because of course it was a gross violation of manners to touch something so private as someone else's dæmon.
3.Someone with great strength, passion or skill for a particular activity, pursuit etc.; an enthusiast.
- He’s a demon at the card tables.
4.A type of patience or solitaire (card game) played in the UK and/or US.
- ‘That's much the best feeling to have.’ She dealt out the first row of ‘demon’.
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #4133
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English demon, a borrowing from Medieval Latin dēmōn, daemōn (“lar, familiar spirit, guardian spirit”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”).
Displaced native Old English sċucca and Old English þyrs.
Doublet of daimon.