incubus

incubus
/in"kyeuh beuhs, ing"-/, n., pl. incubi /-buy'/, incubuses.
1. an imaginary demon or evil spirit supposed to descend upon sleeping persons, esp. one fabled to have sexual intercourse with women during their sleep. Cf. succubus (def. 1).
2. a nightmare.
3. something that weighs upon or oppresses one like a nightmare.
[1175-1225; ME < LL: a nightmare induced by such a demon, n. deriv. of L incubare to lie upon; see INCUBATE]

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demon
      demon in male form that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in the birth of witches, demons, and deformed human offspring. The legendary magician Merlin was said to have been fathered by an incubus. Parallels exist in many cultures. The word incubus is derived from the Latin incubus (“nightmare”) and incubare (“to lie upon, weigh upon, brood”). In modern psychological usage, the term has been applied to the type of nightmare that gives one the feeling of a heavy weight or oppression on the chest and stomach.

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  • Incubus — Основная информация …   Википедия

  • Incubus — In cu*bus, n.; pl. E. {Incubuses}, L. {Incubi}. [L., the nightmare. Cf. {Incubate}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A demon; a fiend; a lascivious spirit, supposed to have sexual intercourse with women by night. Tylor. [1913 Webster] The devils who appeared… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Incubus — puede referirse a: Íncubo, un demonio masculino (contraparte masculina del Súcubo). También puede referirse a: Incubus, banda de rock californiana. Incubus, película de terror. Esta página de desambiguación cat …   Wikipedia Español

  • Incŭbus — (Incubo), 1) Beischläfer; 2) so v.w. Faun, weil die Alten glaubten, er pflege verbotene Liebe mit den Frauen; 3) bes. in der Hexensprache ein Teufel, der mit einer Hexe Buhlerei trieb; 4) so v.w. Alp; 5) Päderast …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Incubus — Incubus, lat., Hauskobold; Alp. s. Alpdrücken …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • incubus — index weight (burden) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Incubus — vgl. Inkubus …   Das Wörterbuch medizinischer Fachausdrücke

  • incubus — (n.) c.1200, from L.L. (Augustine), from L. incubo nightmare, one who lies down on (the sleeper), from incubare to lie upon (see INCUBATE (Cf. incubate)). Plural is incubi. In the Middle Ages their existence was recognized by law …   Etymology dictionary

  • incubus — meaning ‘a male demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women’ and hence ‘a nightmare’, has the plural form incubuses …   Modern English usage

  • incubus — [n] evil spirit demon, devil, fiend, goblin, hobgoblin, nightmare, succuba, succubus; concepts 370,412 …   New thesaurus

  • incubus — ► NOUN (pl. incubi) 1) a male demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women. 2) archaic a nightmare. ORIGIN Latin incubo nightmare , from incubare lie on …   English terms dictionary

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