Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An inferior deity, such as a deified hero.
  • noun An attendant spirit; a genius.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as demon.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A tutelary spirit that guides a person; a genius.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an evil supernatural being

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek daimōn; see dā- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin dæmon ("spirit"), originally from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daimon, "a god, goddess, divine power, genius, guardian spirit")

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Examples

  • [1775] The word daimon means in Greek a god, but the Christians used the word to signify an evil spirit.

    ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus 1819-1893 2001

  • "Satan," in Greek "daimon" because he is a spiritual being possessed of extraordinary powers, also "diabolos," because he is a calumniator who accuses those whom he has deceived with false sin, the being whom Augustine said possesses intelligent reasons for what he urges others to do.

    THE IRATE NATION 2008

  • Milton's admirable economy in working this truth into his great poem (i. 378) affords a sublime exposition of the mind of the Fathers on the origin of mythologies.] [1774] The word daimon means in Greek a god, but the Christians used the word to signify an evil spirit.

    ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus 1819-1893 2001

  • Seeing sal with the new girl makes me want to call daimon and apologize.

    i-claudius Diary Entry i-claudius 2005

  • Hence, the hitherto morally ambivalent or neutral word daimon acquires an almost exclusively evil connotation in the monotheistic context.

    DEMONOLOGY HELEN P. TRIMPI 1968

  • A daimon is a divine sign given to an individual (Phaedrus, 242B) or it is

    DEMONOLOGY HELEN P. TRIMPI 1968

  • There is a being called a daimon who is either identical with theos or is the power or agency of theos (Homer).

    DEMONOLOGY HELEN P. TRIMPI 1968

  • It may be remarked that the name of Daeva is an instance of that change from a good to a bad sense which is seen in the case of the Greek word daimon.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 4: Clandestinity-Diocesan Chancery 1840-1916 1913

  • The personality is the vehicle of the daimon, which is not confined within the limit of the personality, and for which the birth and death of the personality are of no importance.

    Christentum als mystische Tatsache und die Mysterien des Altertums. English Rudolf Steiner 1893

  • To conjure your "daimon" or consult your "genius" is comparably to enter into that dialogue which constitutes self-consciousness for

    Post-Secular Conviviality 2008

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