demon

demon
/dee"meuhn/, n.
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, esp. a child, who is very mischievous: His younger son is a real little demon.
6. daemon.
7. Australian Slang. a policeman, esp. a detective.
adj.
8. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or noting a demon.
9. possessed or controlled by a demon.
[1350-1400; ME < L daemonium < Gk daimónion, thing of divine nature (in Jewish and Christian writers, evil spirit), neut. of daimónios, deriv. of daímon; (def. 6) < L; see DAEMON]

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In religions worldwide, any of various evil spirits that mediate between the supernatural and human realms.

The term comes from the Greek word daimon, a divine or semidivine power that determined a person's fate. Zoroastrianism had a hierarchy of demons, which were in constant battle with Ahura Mazda. In Judaism it was believed that demons inhabited desert wastes, ruins, and graves and inflicted physical and spiritual disorders on humankind. Christianity placed Satan or Beelzebub at the head of the ranks of demons, and Islam designated Iblis or Satan as the leader of a host of evil jinn. Hinduism has many demons, called asuras, who oppose the devas (gods). In Buddhism demons are seen as tempters who prevent the achievement of nirvana.

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also spelled  daemon,  Classical Greek  daimon,  

      in Greek religion, a supernatural power. In Homer the term is used almost interchangeably with theos for a god. The distinction there is that theos emphasizes the personality of the god, and demon his activity. Hence, the term demon was regularly applied to sudden or unexpected supernatural interventions not due to any particular deity. It became commonly the power determining a person's fate, and a mortal could have a personal demon. As early as Hesiod (c. 700 BC), the dead of the Golden Age became demons; and later philosophical speculation envisaged these as lower than the gods (possibly mortal) but as superior to humanity. (See also angel and demon.)

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  • démon — démon …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • démon — [ demɔ̃ ] n. m. • daemon 1546; demoygne XIIIe; lat. dæmonium; lat. ecclés. dæmon, gr. daimôn « génie protecteur, dieu » I ♦ 1 ♦ (XVIe) Myth. Être surnaturel, bon ou mauvais, inspirateur de la destinée d un homme, d une collectivité. ⇒ dieu,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Demon FM — Broadcast area Leicester Frequency 107.5 (FM) First air date 29/09/1995 Format Student Radio …   Wikipedia

  • démon — DÉMON. sub. mas. Diable, malin Esprit. Le Démon lui a inspiré cela. Les ruses du Démon. [b]f♛/b] On dit figurém. et familièrement, d Une personne qui ne fait que tourmenter les autres, que C est un Démon, un vrai Démon, un Démonincarné. [b]f♛/b]… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • Demon — Démon Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Demon — (engl. für Dämon) ist: ein Hintergrundprozess auf Unix Systemen, siehe Daemon das Jagdflugzeug McDonnell F3H Demon eine britische Band, siehe Demon (Band) der Originaltitel der Oper Der Dämon eine Comicfigur, siehe The Demon der Name mehrerer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • demon — DEMON. s. m. Diable, malin esprit. Le demon luy a inspiré cela. tous les demons d enfer. les ruses du demon. On dit fig. d Une personne qui ne fait que tourmenter les autres, que C est un demon, un vray demon, un demon incarné. On dit, Faire le… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • demon — DÉMON, demoni, s.m. 1. Diavol, drac. ♦ fig. Om rău. ♦ Fiinţă imaginară considerată ca spirit al răului. 2. (În scrierile romanticilor) Personificare a eroismului, a curajului, a răzvrătirii şi uneori a frumuseţii fizice. ♦ (În gândirea mitică şi… …   Dicționar Român

  • Demon 97 — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Demon 97 (1997) CD de WarCry Publicación 1997 Género(s) Heavy Metal, Power Metal …   Wikipedia Español

  • Demon — De mon, n. [F. d[ e]mon, L. daemon a spirit, an evil spirit, fr. Gr. dai mwn a divinity; of uncertain origin.] 1. (Gr. Antiq.) A spirit, or immaterial being, holding a middle place between men and deities in pagan mythology. [1913 Webster] The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • demon — [dē′mən] n. [ME < L: see DAEMON] 1. DAEMON (senses 1 & 2) 2. a devil; evil spirit 3. a person or thing regarded as evil, cruel, etc. [the demon of jealousy] 4. a) a person w …   English World dictionary

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