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View synonyms for

demon

1

[ dee-muhn ]

noun

  1. an evil spirit; devil or fiend.
  2. an evil passion or influence.
  3. a person considered extremely wicked, evil, or cruel.
  4. a person with great energy, drive, etc.:

    He's a demon for work.

  5. a person, especially a child, who is very mischievous:

    His younger son is a real little demon.

  6. Australian Slang. a policeman, especially a detective.


adjective

  1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or noting a demon.
  2. possessed or controlled by a demon.

demon-

2
  1. variant of demono- before a vowel:

    demonism.

demon

/ ˈ»å¾±Ë³¾É™²Ô /

noun

  1. an evil spirit or devil
  2. a person, habit, obsession, etc, thought of as evil, cruel, or persistently tormenting
  3. Also calleddaemondaimon an attendant or ministering spirit; genius

    the demon of inspiration

    1. a person who is extremely skilful in, energetic at, or devoted to a given activity, esp a sport

      a demon at cycling

    2. ( as modifier )

      a demon cyclist

  4. a variant spelling of daemon
  5. informal.
    a detective or policeman
  6. computing a part of a computer program, such as a help facility, that can run in the background behind the current task or application, and which will only begin to work when certain conditions are met or when it is specifically invoked
“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
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of demon1

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin daemonium < Greek »å²¹¾±³¾Ã³²Ô¾±´Ç²Ô, thing of divine nature (in Jewish and Christian writers, evil spirit), neuter of »å²¹¾±³¾Ã³²Ô¾±´Ç²õ, derivative of »å²¹Ã­³¾Å²Ô; demon ( def 6 ) < Latin; daemon
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of demon1

C15: from Latin »å²¹±ð³¾Å²Ô evil spirit, spirit, from Greek »å²¹¾±³¾Å²Ô spirit, deity, fate; see daemon

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˜yÐÄvlogs That Use Demon-

What does »å±ð³¾´Ç²Ô-Ìýmean?

Demon- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “demon.†It is used in a few technical terms, especially in theology.

Demon- comes from the Greek »å²¹¾±³¾Ã³²Ô¾±´Ç²Ô, meaning “thing of divine nature†and ultimate source of the English word demon. Among Jewish and Christian writers, »å²¹¾±³¾Ã³²Ô¾±´Ç²Ô was used to mean “evil spirit.â€

Demon- is a variant of demono-, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our ˜yÐÄvlogs That Use demono- article.

Examples of demon-

One example of a theological term that features the combining form demon- is demonism, which can refer to the belief in or study of demons.

The first part of the word, demon- means “demon,†as we’ve seen. What about the -ism part of the word? The suffix -ism can refer to a kind of “theory†or a “devotion or adherence†to something. So, demonism literally translates to “demon devotion.â€

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form demon-?

What are some other forms that demon- may be commonly confused with?

Not every word that begins with the exact letters demon- is necessarily using the combining form demon- to denote “demon,†such as demonym or demonetize. Learn their meaning and uses at our entries for the words.

Break it down!

The suffix -ize forms verbs and has a general meaning of “to make (into).†With this and the meaning of demon- in mind, what does demonize mean?

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