demonn.adj.

Brit.

/ˈdiːmən/, U.S.

/ˈdimən/

Forms:

α. Old English– demon, 1500s–1700s doemon, 1500s– daemon (in later use chiefly in branch II.), 1600s deemon.

β. Old English demonia (plural), Middle English demonyes (plural).

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from French. Etymons: Latin daemōn; French demon.

Etymology: In α. forms originally < (i) classical Latin daemōn (in post-classical Latin also demon: see below); subsequently reinforced by or reborrowed < (ii) Middle French demon, daemon (also daimon , daymon ), French démon spirit (whether good or evil) which governs the fate of an individual or of a group of people (c1370; 1552 in Rabelais denoting the attendant spirit of Socrates; rare before 1652), evil spirit, devil (a1380), (especially in classical mythology) supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans (1546), idol, false god (1605 or earlier), a source or cause of evil or great harm (1631 or earlier), (especially in Christian theology) one of the fallen angels (1690) < classical Latin daemōn supernatural being or spirit (2nd cent. a.d. in Apuleius), in post-classical Latin also evil spirit (late 2nd cent. in Tertullian), heathen deity, idol (Vulgate), inner or attendant spirit associated with a person (a1364 in the passage translated in quot. a1387 at sense 7, with reference to the genius of Socrates) < ancient Greek δαίμων god, goddess, divine power, deity, destiny, fate, good or evil genius of a family or person, in Hellenistic Greek also spiritual or semi-divine being, evil spirit < δαίεσθαι to divide (see geodetic n.) + -μων , suffix forming nouns. In β. forms < classical Latin daemonium (also daemonion) the indwelling spirit or genius claimed by Socrates (2nd cent. a.d. in Apuleius), in post-classical Latin also evil spirit, heathen deity, idol (late 2nd cent. in Tertullian) < ancient Greek δαιμόνιον divine power, divinity, inferior divine being, genius of Socrates, in Hellenistic Greek also evil spirit (especially in Septuagint, New Testament, and Christian writers), use as noun of neuter of δαιμόνιος of or belonging to a divine power, miraculous, marvellous < δαίμων + -ιος, suffix forming adjectives.Foreign-language parallels. Both Latin nouns were also borrowed into other European languages. Compare: (i) Catalan dèmon , Spanish †demon (c1230), Portuguese demo (1210), Italian demone (late 13th cent.), and also German Dämon (1521 as demon ; in early use often with Latin inflectional endings), all < Latin daemōn ; (ii) Old French demoine , demoygne evil spirit (first quarter of the 13th cent.), Old Occitan demoni , Catalan dimoni (12th cent.; also †demoni ), Spanish demonio (c1230), Portuguese demônio (13th cent.), Italian demonio (a1292), and also German Dämonium (1581 as daemonium ), all < classical Latin daemonium . Inflection in Old English The word is attested only twice in Old English: once as dative plural dēmonum , probably implying a strong masculine dēmon (see α. forms), and once as nominative plural dēmonia (see β. forms) with Latin (neuter nominative plural) case inflection. Semantic development of sense 1. The negative connotations of all three subsenses of sense 1 are largely due to the concept of demons in Judaism and Christianity. The Septuagint uses ancient Greek δαιμόνιον (not δαίμων ) to translate the two occurrences in the Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures of Hebrew šēdīm (plural noun) evil spirits, false gods (Deuteronomy 32:17, Psalm 106:37; in both instances with reference to sacrifices being offered to Canaanite idols), and also to translate two out of the four occurrences (Leviticus 17:7, 2 Chronicles 11:15) of śĕʿīrīm, plural of śāʿīr satyr. The same perception of foreign gods appears to be shown by Psalm 96:5 (compare quot. OE at sense 1b), where the Septuagint uses δαιμόνια to render Hebrew 'elilīm (plural noun) worthless gods, idols. The Hebrew texts of the Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures do not refer to evil spirits possessing people in exactly the same way as in the New Testament. However, there are several rough parallels: in 1 Samuel 16:14–23, 18:10, and 19:9, Saul is influenced by an evil spirit, which however is sent by God; and in Psalm 91:6, ancient Greek δαιμόνιον is used in the Septuagint to translate Hebrew qeṭeḇ ‘destruction’, which gave rise to the so-called ‘noonday demon’ (often taken in the Christian monastic tradition to mean the sin of sloth). In later post-exilic (Hellenistic) times, a concept of demons as possessing people and especially as the negative counterparts of God in a dualistic world view began to develop in Judaism, and it is in this context that ancient Greek δαιμόνιον frequently occurs in the Apocrypha or deuterocanonical books (especially in Tobit) and in the New Testament. The New Testament frequently mentions demonic possession and the casting out of evil spirits. Although the usual Greek word for such spirits in the New Testament is δαιμόνιον , in one instance (Matthew 8:31) δαίμονες (plural of δαίμων ) occurs in the same sense. By contrast, ancient Greek διάβολος (see diabolic adj.), the ulterior etymon of devil n., is not used in the plural in either the Septuagint or the New Testament. In the Vulgate, the Hebrew and Greek nouns are generally translated by classical Latin daemonium (plural daemonia ); however, daemōn (plural daemones ) is used once in the Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures (Leviticus 17:7) and in ten places in the New Testament (of which eight occur in the Gospel according to Matthew). The Latin, Greek, and Hebrew words mentioned are translated by devil n. in the West Saxon Gospels, as well as in the King James Bible and other early modern English versions of the Bible; the Wycliffite Bible uses both devil n. and fiend n. The Revised Version of 1881–5 substituted demon in Deuteronomy and Psalms, but in the New Testament retained devil in the text, with demon given in the margin. The lack of early evidence for demon in the sense ‘an evil spirit that possesses a person’ appears to be due to this substitution of devil n. in early English Bible versions. Other specific senses. In sense 4 originally after French diable devil (see diable int.; 1862 (in the passage translated in quot. 1865) or earlier in this sense). In sense 6, the patience game is apparently so called on account of its difficulty (compare quot. 1895). In the specific use in sense 7 (frequently in references to the ‘daemon of Socrates’; compare later daimon n.), ultimately after ancient Greek δαιμόνιον. Socrates claimed to be guided not by a δαίμων , but by a δαιμόνιον (compare classical Latin dīvīnum quiddam ‘a divine something’ (Cicero)), a certain divine principle or agency, an inward monitor or oracle. Socrates's accusers represented this as a personal ‘demon’ or evil spirit, and the same was done by many of the Church Fathers (under the influence of sense 1c), whence the post-classical Latin, and hence the English, uses in this sense.

I. An evil spirit, and related senses.

a. Any evil spirit or malevolent supernatural being; a devil. Used in various religions and mythologies, and also in folklore, fairy tales, etc., to refer to a range of beings, including servants of the Devil, tormentors in hell, evil spirits that are conjured by humans, malevolent ghosts, etc.rock demon, water demon, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun]

evil angel, spiritc950

ghosteOE

uncleanOE

demonOE

devilOE

devilshineOE

groa1225

debleriea1325

devilnessa1400

devilryc1400

sprat?a1475

nicker1481

fiend of hell1509

imp1526

virtue1584

elf1587

succubus1601

blue devilc1616

black man1656

woolsaw1757

buggane1775

bhut1785

demonic1785

pishachi1807

devil-devil1831

skookum1838

taipo1848

lightning bird1870

demonry1883

pisaca1885

mafufunyanas1963

mare1981

OE (Northumbrian) Liturgical Texts (Durham Ritual) in A. H. Thompson & U. Lindelöf Rituale Ecclesiae Dunelmensis (1927) 146 Ut defendat segites nostras a uermibus, a uolatilibus, a demonibus, a fulminibus, ab omni temptatione diabuli : þætte gescilde acras usa from wyrmum from flegendum from demonum uel from dioblum from legeðum from aelcum costunge diobles.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7876 Heo beoð ihaten ful iwis incubii demones.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 7974 Incubi demones is called þer name, ffendes in bedde, so þei sayn, þat many women haf forlayn.

?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 371 (MED) Blow flamys of fer..mak redy ageyn we com to this demon.

1566 Exam. John Walsh To Rdr. sig. A.ij^v Questioning with his Demon how long hee shoulde raygne Pope.

1594 T. Kyd tr. R. Garnier Cornelia iii. sig. E^v Thinke not it was Pompeys spryte, But some false Dæmon that beguild your sight.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) ii. ii. 118 If that same Dæmon that hath gull'd thee thus, Should with his Lyon-gate walke the whole world.

1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. iii. iv. 32 [They] fired their Guns to kill the old Dæmon that they say inhabits there to disturb poor Seamen.

1766 W. Kenrick Falstaff's Wedding v. iv. 61 In the name of heav'n and earth, what art thou? Ouphe, fairy, ghost, hobgoblin, or demon?

1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity I. i. 8 A malignant dæmon had brought [them] into his power.

1813 W. Scott Bridal of Triermain ii. Concl. vii. 113 But would'st thou bid the demons fly Like mist before the dawning sky.

1865 T. Wright Hist. Caricature & Grotesque iv. 69 The three special characteristics of mediæval demons were horns, hoofs..and tails.

1954 Artibus Asiae Supplementum 13 41 Their consorts..reveal themselves in the lower scene as rāksasīs, female demons ready and eager to devour their mates.

1983 M. S. Peck People of Lie (1985) iii. 117 Myths in which princes and princesses and other beings have become captive to the evil power of some wicked witch or demon.

2012 G. Damico Croak xviii. 227 ‘Will the fiery demons of hell be arriving to claim your mortality?’ ‘No, the fiery hell demons have the weekend off.’

b. An idol, a false god. Now historical.In implicit or explicit contrast with the Christian God.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > false or heathen god

devileOE

demonOE

false goda1175

field-devil1530

puppetries1610

OE Arundel Psalter xcv. 5 Quoniam omnes dii gentium demonia, dominus autem celos fecit : forðon ealle godas þeoda demonia drihten soþlice heofonas geworhte.

1620 W. Hart tr. F. de Croÿ Three Conformities i. v. 10 The infinitenes of diuers patrons, aduocates, and tutelare Saints, whom you haue substituted in place of the ancient Gods and Demons [Fr. demons] of the Gentiles, whose names are vnknowne each to another.

1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. III iii. 51 Al the Phenician Baalim and Grecian Demons were but Idolatric Imitamens or Apes of the true Messias.

1732 P. Smith Preservative against Quakerism ii. 26 To worship that lying Spirit as God, is really the same gross Idolatry, with that of the Heathens worshipping of Demons or Devils as the true God.

1885 Bible (R.V.) Deut. xxxii. 17 They sacrificed unto demons, which were no God.

1916 G. F. Taylor Second Coming of Jesus xxviii. 174 Hundreds of years before Christ, men worshipped demons.

2011 S. A. Mitchell Witchcraft & Magic in Nordic Middle Ages iii. 92 From the perspective of the thirteenth-century saga authors, the heathen world is..a world consisting entirely of soulless mechanistic appeals to demons.

c. An evil spirit that possesses a person, animal, etc.In quot. 1613 with admixture of sense 1b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > familiar or possessing spirit

spiritc1350

familiar devila1464

familiar spirita1545

Python1548

familiar1583

succubus1601

demon1613

paredrusa1641

maisterel1652

obsessor1652

paredrial1652

cad1657

kanaima1825

Zar1868

1613 T. Milles tr. P. Mexia et al. Treasurie Auncient & Moderne Times viii. x. 765/2 Those Gods which the Iewes had caused to be left to the people..consisted of dumbe and insensible Statues... Infamous Dæmons possessed themselues of these Statues and Symulacres.

1651 J. F. tr. H. C. Agrippa Three Bks. Occult Philos. iii. xli. 481 These souls sometimes..seise upon the bodies of creeping things, and brutes, entering into them, what kind soever they be of, possessing them like Demons.

1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe v. 706 Persons..wholly Demoniacal and Possessed by Evil Demons.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Demoniac A Person possess'd with a Spirit, or Demon.

1767 T. Hutchinson Hist. Province Massachusets-Bay, 1691–1750 i. 16 A young woman..supposed to be posessed with dæmons.

1884 E. B. Tylor in Science 19 Dec. 547 The old philosophy which accounts for disease in general as the intrusion of a malignant spirit still largely remains; and the exorcising such a demon is practised by white men as a religious rite.

1922 G. H. Hubbard Spiritual Messages of Miracle Stories xix. 160 A sorrowing father brings his little son, who is possessed by a demon.

2005 Church Times 7 Oct. 10/2 It requires skill to identify and then to bind and exorcise the demon.

a. A cruel, wicked, or destructive person or animal. Also in weakened use: a mischievous or unmanageable person, esp. a child. Cf. devil n. 4, fiend n. 4a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > harmfulness > ill-will > thing or person > [noun]

demon1591

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > unkindness > ill will, malevolence > [noun] > person or thing displaying

devilOE

hatelc1175

fiendc1220

hellhoundc1340

foea1393

atterlingc1450

basilisk1477

ill-willerc1500

attercop1508

malign1536

ettercapa1583

demon1591

viper1596

dragon1600

ill-wisher1607

malevolent1609

malevolo1648

1591 E. Spenser Ruines of Rome in Complaints sig. S3^v The Romaine Dæmon Doth yet himselfe with fatall hand enforce, Againe on foote to reare her pouldred corse.

1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iii. v. 41 in Wks. II A caueat against cutpurses!..i' faith, I would faine see that Dæmon, your Cutpurse, you talke of.

1776 J. Leacock Fall Brit. Tyranny 22 Lord Paramount is that demon, that bird of prey, that ministerial cormorant, that waits to devour, and who first thought to disturb the repose of America.

1821 W. Scott Pirate III. xiii. 309 The Boatswain used to be staunch enough, and so is Goffe, though an incarnate demon.

1829 T. Carlyle in Foreign Rev. Jan. 421 The Tartar Khan, with his shaggy demons of the wilderness.

1913 Methodist Rev. Mar. 188 Petrarch..declares in his prose works woman to be a true demon.

1934 J. Tobias Ready-made Family ii. 37 Gracie pulls the rope taut. Henry trips and falls sprawling... You little demon! What did you do that for?

1997 Bangkok Post 26 Feb. 8/6 They denounce him as a greedy corporate demon who's trying to dominate the Internet.

2004 F. W. Thackeray Events that changed Germany p. ix Hitler and his Nazi demons enslaved a not-unwilling Germany.

†b. A hideously ugly animal. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > [noun]

neteneOE

wightc888

deerc950

beastc1225

jument1382

creaturea1387

animala1398

bestialc1400

bullifanta1528

bovya1549

animant1599

man or beast1600

breather1609

fellow creature1726

fig-fauns1750

critter1815

fellow1816

demon1821

skelm1827

1821 T. G. Wainewright in London Mag. Apr. 442/1 The grim demon of a bull-dog, who interrupts the cat in her unhallowed dalliance with the rat.

a. A source or cause of evil or great harm; something pernicious or corrupting; esp. a destructive emotion or activity. Frequently personified. Also in apposition.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > [noun] > source of

demon1635

ki-mon1871

1635 E. Grimeston tr. M. Baudier Hist. Imperiall Estate Grand Seigneurs xix. 113 Necessitie is a powerfull Dæmon [Fr. demon], and his vertue makes him also to be honoured.

1677 Z. Babington Advice to Grand Jurors To Rdr. sig. B7^v Not with a direct design to kill any, but rather to fright, weaken, and drive away that Dæmon of Passion in man to commit Murther.

1695 T. W. tr. J. Abbadie Art of knowing One-self ii. i. 95 By the God of this Age, he means the Demon of Concupiscence.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 387. ¶11 Melancholy is a kind of Demon that haunts our Island.

1754 W. Pitt Let. 24 Jan. in Lett. to Nephew (1804) v. 39 Beware..of Anger, that dæmon, that destroyer of our peace.

1809 N. Pinkney Trav. South of France 86 The dæmon of anarchy has here raised a superb trophy on a monument of ruins.

1838 Jrnl. Amer. Temperance Union Mar. 39/2 The sufferings which the demon Intemperance is scattering broad-cast around him.

1873 T. W. Knox Underground l. 729 He was then ahead of the game nearly one thousand dollars, and the demon of avarice was fully aroused in his soul.

1894 ‘R. Andom’ We Three & Troddles xxii. 210 The demon dyspepsia had marked him down.

1921 Ice & Refrigeration Dec. 379/1 That wretched demon—jealousy, was being eliminated, and a spirit of hearty cooperation had taken its place.

1955 P. Larkin Let. 16 Apr. in Lett. Monica (2010) 152 You may make a supreme effort one evening, say, to ‘talk it out’, to banish the demon, & so on, putting out all your unselfishness and concern for her—but in the morning you'll find nothing has altered.

1993 S. Elkins & E. L. McKitrick Age of Federalism (1995) vii. 281 The demon of speculation may undoubtedly be seen as the demon of capitalism itself.

2003 D. E. Talbert Baggage Claim (2005) 115 Lust is a demon. And it ain't no small demon.

b. spec. With reference to alcoholic drink or (in later use) a drug regarded as evil or harmful. Chiefly with the, and frequently in apposition (sometimes passing into attributive), as demon drink, demon rum, demon weed, etc. Now frequently used facetiously. When used in apposition, sometimes passing into an adjective.See also drink-demon n. at drink n. Compounds 1a(a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun]

drink1042

liquor1340

bousea1350

cidera1382

dwale1393

sicera1400

barrelc1400

strong drinkc1405

watera1475

swig1548

tipple1581

amber1598

tickle-brain1598

malt pie1599

swill1602

spicket1615

lap1618

John Barleycornc1625

pottle1632

upsy Englisha1640

upsy Friese1648

tipplage1653

heartsease1668

fuddle1680

rosin1691

tea1693

suck1699

guzzlea1704

alcohol1742

the right stuff1748

intoxicant1757

lush1790

tear-brain1796

demon1799

rum1799

poison1805

fogram1808

swizzle1813

gatter1818

wine(s) and spirit(s)1819

mother's milkc1821

skink1823

alcoholics1832

jough1834

alky1844

waipiro1845

medicine1847

stimulant1848

booze1859

tiddly1859

neck oil1860

lotion1864

shrab1867

nose paint1880

fixing1882

wet1894

rabbit1895

shicker1900

jollop1920

mule1920

giggle-water1929

rookus juice1929

River Ouse1931

juice1932

lunatic soup1933

wallop1933

skimish1936

sauce1940

turps1945

grog1946

joy juice1960

1799 Columbian Songster iv. xciii. 29 How happy is the man, Who has a quiet home; Who loves to do what good he can, And hates the demon, Rum.

1829 Vermont Chron. 17 July 114/4 We have many in the ship, who might have been an ornament to society, but for the demon, drink.

1832 Sailor's Mag. July 347 But O, the demon Rum! has been the cause..of all this mournful change.

1840 Teetotaler 1 Aug. 43/2 What damns tens and hundreds of thousands of souls yearly? Will not every tongue reply, ‘'Tis drink! the demon drink!’

1848 Sc. Temperance Rev. June 285/2 Intemperance is a possession as well as a disease, alcohol is the demon, we are determined to cast him out.

1873 Sword & Trowel June 270 The demon whisky keeps his votaries in too willing subjection.

1915 99th Ann. Rep. Amer. Bible Soc. 55 People were in mourning, for that demon, drink, had been voted out of the town.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xiii. [Nausicaa] 338 Had her father only avoided the clutches of the demon drink.

1939 D. Thomas Coll. Lett. (1987) 380 I'm just about to pawn, for debts and the demon alcohol, a silver christening present to Llewelyn.

1976 New Scientist 19 Feb. 424/1 The Russians are fighting the good fight against the demon vodka.

1989 Crisis Mar. 3/1 Some truly horrifying accounts of the degradation wrought by drugs, especially by the new demon, crack.

1998 S. D. Cashman Amer. Ascendant vi. 155 Thousands of pamphlets and posters warning people of the evils of demon drink.

2002 Chicago Tribune 17 Apr. i. 13/1 Political notables..who have admitted to partaking of the demon weed in their youth.

c. In plural. Recurrent (and often destructive) fears, compulsions, anxieties, etc., experienced by a person. Frequently with possessive.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > apprehension > [noun] > apprehension > emotion caused by sense of danger

fearc1175

effere1553

demons1874

1874 F. L. Benedict Frank Worthington's Name xxv. 141/1 So Milly battled with her demons, and yielded to the fierce dictates of her jealousy and her rage.

1940 Washington Post 9 Sept. 6 After considerable stroking, soothing, and patting upon my part, Junior again lies quietly, the calm and beatific smile upon his features indicating that his demons have been at least temporarily subdued.

1967 Guardian 14 May 18 The cruellest, most brilliant sport..where a man wrestles with his demons.

1991 S. C. Cohen Lives of Value i. 8 Mostly I spend time alone in my office, struggling with my demons, though I love my work as much as I love anything in my life—sometimes more.

2012 Independent 20 Jan. 17/4 One night I failed to sleep a wink but completed a day's work without incident, and this helped to banish some of the demons.

a. An exceptionally fast, strong, energetic, or skilful person or animal, esp. one that is extremely skilful at a particular activity. Also: a fanatic or enthusiast for an activity, habit, etc. Also in extended use. Cf. Compounds 2b. See also speed demon n. at speed n. Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [noun] > vigorous or energetic person > extremely > of superhuman energy or skill

demon1865

1865 F. C. L. Wraxall tr. E. About in Second Empire in French Lit. II. vii. 134 Fears might have been entertained that poor Fougas would die in the first hour of his life, but this demon of a man [Fr. ce diable d'homme] bent and straightened again like a spring.

1877 Coursing Cal. Autumn 1876 315 It was hard lines indeed for Mr Watson to meet with such a demon of a hare for the decider.

1888 G. M. Hopkins Let. 19 Oct. (1935) 296 Sir Robert Stewart (a demon for rule) says it is correct.

1899 Westm. Gaz. 6 Feb. 3/1 He is a demon of accuracy.

1905 Shearer (Sydney) 19 Aug. 8/3 If for ‘yakker’ [= work] you're a demon You can do their share as well!

1908 D. Blackburn Leaven 268 Gambling? He's a demon at it... He is very smart.

1948 J. Fairfax Run o' Waters 58 The Little Falcon..a little black demon of incredible speed.

1963 A. Baron Lowlife ix. 72 She was a demon for economizing.

1989 Car & Driver Oct. 134/3 The Hatchback should be a demon, however, at slaloming around high monthly payments.

1995 Alternative Press May 43/2 In the studio, Sweet is a demon, banging down tracks and approving first mixes.

2008 R. Farooki Corner Shop (2009) 293 She's the fittest by far, I'll bet she's a demon in the sack.

b. like a demon: very energetically or assiduously; in a very skilful or thorough way; with great endurance. Frequently in to work like a demon.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)]

twig1573

to go at ——1675

to go it1794

to come it1796

to lay it on thick1806

to blaze away1826

bushwhack1837

steam1842

split1844

rustle1882

to work like a demon1884

yank1888

go-at-it1904

to go somea1911

to put a jerk in it1919

to go (also do) one's (also a) dinger1923

to work (etc.) one's ass off1924

to go to town1933

to gie (or give) it laldy1974

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > acting vigorously or energetically [phrase] > with great vigour or energy

with (also in) mood and maineOE

vigour13..

with or by (all one's) might and mainc1330

with (one's) forcec1380

like anything1665

hammer and tongs1708

like stour1787

(in) double tides1788

like blazes1818

like winking1827

with a will1827

like winky1830

like all possessed1833

in a big way1840

like (or worse than) sin1840

full swing1843

like a Trojan1846

like one o'clock1847

like sixty1848

like forty1852

like wildfire1857

like old boots1865

like blue murder1867

like steam1905

like stink1929

like one thing1938

like a demon1945

up a storm1953

1884 M. E. Braddon Ishmael I. vii. 117 He was idle and irregular in his life, worked with fury for a couple of days, and then left off for three, or worked like a demon for a morning, and spent the whole afternoon out of doors.

1931 M. Moore Let. 24 June in Sel. Lett. (1997) 257 I take my jeroba up there and am working like a demon to complete it.

1945 T. Raddall Tambour 154 MacNeill backskating like a demon, swung in and pokechecked shrewdly.

1970 E. Kübler-Ross On Death & Dying (1973) viii. 130 I could work like a demon. I had fellows that came to my house and told my wife that I worked too hard.

2006 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 9 July 9/1 I'm actually a real girly girl. I get my nails and hair done, and shop like a demon.

5. Chiefly Australian slang (usually depreciative).

a. A policeman, esp. a detective. [Probably punningly after D-man (although this is apparently first attested later; < D. n. at D n. Initialisms 3a (compare also dee n. 2) + man n.¹).]

ΘΚΠ

society > law > law enforcement > investigation of crime > [noun] > detective

plant1812

plain clothes1822

detective1850

plainclothesman1856

mouser1863

D.1869

sleuth1872

tec1879

dee1882

demon1889

sleuth-hound1890

split1891

fink1903

hawkshaw1903

busy1904

dick1905

gumshoe1913

Richard1914

shamus1925

cozzer1950

Five-O1983

1889 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang I. 304/1 Demons (Australian), prison slang for police. ‘The demons put pincher on me’, I was apprehended.

1891 Truth (Sydney) 17 May 3/4 I only wish I had one of them button-hole cameras you see advertised—the demons use them I believe.

1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Nov. 38/1 Those ‘demons’, the fools, were chasing the wrong people, as usual.

1941 K. Tennant Battlers viii. 96 The showers were ‘demons’, or plain-clothes detectives.

1950 Here & Now (N.Z.) 16 Nov. When they got to the station a big demon walked into Joe's cell with his coat off.

1967 K. Giles Death & Mr. Prettyman ii. 61 ‘Tell the truth, Bert,’ said the Australian, ‘always help a demon in distress.’

2006 R. Bramwell in C. Hooper Tall Man (2009) i. 38 I was visited by four demons..who obtained a statement from me.

b. A convict, esp. an escaped convict; a bushranger. Now historical and rare. [Punningly after Van Diemen's Land (also humorously respelt as Van Demon's Land, 1836 or earlier), the former name of the island of Tasmania to which convicts were formerly deported (see Vandemonian adj. and n.).]

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > robber > brigand > [noun] > in other countries

dacoit1788

gang-robber1812

bush-ranger1817

klepht1820

flayer1832

ranger1840

dacoity1849

sticker-up1853

boh1888

demon1909

shifta1920

1909 J. R. Ware Passing Eng. Victorian Era 107/1 Demons, old hands at bushranging; derived from men who arrive from Van Dieman's [sic] Land (Tasmania), some of whom are popularly supposed to have inaugurated bushranging in Australia.

1945 S. J. Baker Austral. Lang. ii. 42 A large number of synonyms for convict became current [in the early part of the nineteenth century], among them canary, transport,..demon (a Van Diemen's Land convict), [etc.].

1986 R. Hughes Fatal Shore (1988) xv. 565 Every unsolved crime in Victoria..was automatically blamed on the ‘Vandemonians’, or simply the ‘Demons’.

6. British. Cards. More fully demon patience. Also with capital initial(s). A kind of one-pack patience game played with a tableau of four columns and a reserve of thirteen cards. Also occasionally: = racing demon n. at racing n.² Compounds 2. In the United States known as Canfield (see Canfield n.).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > patience or solitaire > [noun] > varieties of

spider1890

demon1893

Miss Milligan1899

Klondike1902

Canfield1912

poker patience1912

clock solitaire1919

pisha paysha1928

clock patience1937

1893 M. W. Jones Games of Patience 3rd Ser. ix. 19 Demon Patience.

1895 ‘J. S. Winter’ Magnificent Young Man xvii. 156 It is well called ‘Demon Patience’. I have often tried a dozen times to do it and failed each time.

1900 ‘L. Hoffmann’ Illustr. Bk. Patience Games 36 The Demon.

1918 H. G. Wells Joan & Peter xi. 388 A new card game, Demon Patience, a scrambling sort of game in which you piled on aces in the middle and cried ‘Stop!’ as soon as your stack was out.

1919 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 4 Oct. (1993) III. 7 You know how, when we get hungry, we are at last even unable to play demon for wanting the hashhammer to sound.

1936 ‘P. Quentin’ Puzzle for Fools xii. 95 I began to wonder whether she stole cards from a concealed pack... Her demon came out three times running.

1976 D. Parlett Patience Games 11/1 With minimal scope for skill, Demon is..unlikely to appeal to any but hard-bitten gamblers.

2009 P. Lively Family Album 113 Monopoly, badminton in the garden, demon patience, quoits in the garden, snakes and ladders, why not get out the table tennis things?

II. In neutral or positive senses: a supernatural being, spirit, or divinity.

7. Frequently with possessive adjective. A spirit associated with a particular person; an inner or attendant spirit; (also) an inner source of creative inspiration.See note in etymology. The sense ‘inner or attendant spirit’ is now frequently associated with Philip Pullman's trilogy of novels His Dark Materials (1995–2000), in which, in a parallel universe, a daemon is a person's soul or spirit which exists outside the body in the form of an animal (cf. quots. 1997 and 2007).

ΚΠ

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 279 We haveþ i-lerned of Socrates, þat was alway tendaunt to a spirit þat was i-cleped demon [L. dæmon].

1597 H. M. tr. J. Du Bec-Crispin Hist. Tamerlan 6 The gouernment of his estate, wherin he [sc. Tamerlane] said his professed Demon [Fr. son Dæmon de profession] did oftentimes especiallie direct him.

1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1222 The soule..that obeieth not nor hearkeneth to her owne familiar and proper dæmon [Fr. Dæmon; Gk. δαίμονα].

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) ii. iii. 17 Oh Anthony..Thy Dæmon that thy spirit which keepes thee, is Noble, Couragious, high vnmatchable.

1758 J. Home Agis ii. 24 Inspiration, The guardian God, the Demon of the mind, Thus often presses on the human breast.

1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. ii. 162 Conscience particularly acts as a monitor, like Socrates's Demon.

1865 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. Rationalism I. iv. 414 (note) Minucius Felix thought the dæmon of Socrates was a devil.

1932 R. Kipling Limits & Renewals 142 Was my Demon going to lay the hot coal of inspiration on Lettcombe's unshorn lips—not on mine?

1981 C. Potok Bk. Lights i. i. 26 There is deep, deep within us the irrational as well. It is our motor energy, our creative demon.

1997 P. Pullman Subtle Knife (1998) vi. 124 You're talking about Stan Grumman? His dæmon was an osprey.

2007 S. R. Munt Queer Attachments (2008) vii. 188 Pullman establishes the strangeness of this world by granting each person a daemon, which can be variously interpreted as the individual soul, spirit, emotional expression, unconscious, [etc.].

8. Greek Mythology. A supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans; an inferior divinity or spirit; spec. the soul of a deceased person, esp. a deified hero.

ΚΠ

1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa Of Vanitie Artes & Sci. f. 2 Grammarians..doo expounde this woord Dæmon, that is a Spirite, as if it were Sapiens, that is, Wise [L. grammatici plerique dæmones quasi scientes exponunt].

1572 R. Harrison tr. L. Lavater Of Ghostes i. i. 2 The Gentiles (as S. Augustine and other fathers doo testifie) supposed that the soules of men became Dæmones, that is, good or euill angels.

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xix. 346 And vnto Cratylus ageine [Plato] saith, when the good man departeth this world,..he becommeth a Demon [Fr. dæmon].

a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) (subtitle) The gentiles theology of dæmons, i.e. inferiour divine powers: supposed to be mediatours between God and man.

1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 252 Dæmons according to the Greek idiom, signify either Angels, or the Souls of men, any Spirits out of Terrestrial bodies, the Souls of Saints, and Spirits of Angels.

1774 J. Bryant New Syst. (new ed.) I. 52 Subordinate dæmons, which they supposed to be emanations and derivatives from their chief Deity.

1846 G. Grote Hist. Greece I. i. ii. 91 In Homer, there is scarcely any distinction between gods and dæmons.

1904 H. S. Williams Historians' Hist. World III. iv. 104 The Curetes..appear also as beneficent daemons in the Cretan folk-lore.

2009 A. F. Garvie in Æschylus Persae 76 Petrounias..at least asks why it is all right for Darius to be described in such terms, but his answer, that he is dead and functions as a daemon, is unsatisfactory.

9. Esp. in non-Christian contexts: any spirit or supernatural being (not regarded as intrinsically evil).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > [noun]

ghostOE

spiritc1350

minda1398

sprite?1440

intelligencea1456

esperite1477

intelligency1582

genio1590

geniusa1592

ethereal1610

spirituality1628

supernatural1660

jynx1662

duende1691

atua1769

nat1819

demon1822

Wandjina1938

1822 Time's Telescope: Guide to Almanack 80 He is supposed to be a kind of benevolent demon... He is presumed to befriend the human race.

1850 H. Christmas tr. A. Calmet Phantom World xlvii. 343 Some have advanced the opinion that there were certain benign demons, differing from those who are malevolent and hostile to mankind, to which (benign demons) they have attributed playful and harmless operations.

1923 D. A. Mackenzie Myths China & Japan vi. 73 In early Buddhist art the mungoose, spitting jewels, is placed in the right hand of Kubera, god of wealth, who stands on the back of a Yaksha (a bird demon).

1963 M. I. Gerhardt Art of Story-telling iv. iv. 337 The same demon who did Ma'rûf such a good turn by transporting him to a far country, now takes ill-advised pity on the abandoned Fâtima and transports her likewise.

1991 G. H. Sutherland Disguises of Demon iv. 112 He demonstrates that there are, indeed, good animals and bad animals, good demons and wicked demons.

10. Any of various notional entities having special abilities, used in scientific thought experiments. Frequently with reference to the particular person associated with the experiment; cf. Maxwell's demon n. at Maxwell n.² 1a, Laplace n. 1.Apparently arising from Descartes' use of a powerful or omnipotent evil demon which attempts to mislead him as to the nature of reality and existence: see Descartes Meditationes (1641) i. §xii.

ΚΠ

1874 W. Thomson in Proc. Royal Soc. Edinb. 8 (1875) 326 (note) The definition of a demon, according to the use of this word by Maxwell, is an intelligent being endowed with free-will and fine enough tactile and perceptive organization to give him the faculty of observing and influencing individual molecules of matter.

1931 Monist 41 3 Utilizing these data an imaginary being like Laplace's demon..could calculate the state at any time.

1988 Sci. Amer. Feb. 6/1 No harm would be done if a demon could produce a small temperature difference in a small system containing only a few molecules.

2006 C. Seife Decoding Universe 78 The demon simply had to decide which side of a partition an atom is on—but the physics underlying Szilard's demon was precisely the same as Maxwell's.

Compounds

C1.

a. General attributive (chiefly in sense 1), as demon deed, demon idolatry, etc.

ΚΠ

a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) 13 Did not God forbid his people this rite because abused to Dæmon Idolatry?

1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. III iii. 177 Al those demon-doctrines..introduced by Antichrist and his Sectators.

1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. III iii. 56 The Demon-theology..was brought into the Christian Church first by the Gnostics.

1718 N. Amhurst Protestant Popery ii. 28 On Dæmon-Wings she reach'd the Coasts of Day.

1774 J. Bryant New Syst. (new ed.) I. 141 Among all the dæmon herd what one is there of a form..so odious..as Priapus.

1814 Ld. Byron Corsair ii. iv. 38 Some Afrit sprite, Whose demon death-blow left no hope for fight.

1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters I. xi. 144 They seem endowed with demon life!

1863 W. Phillips Speeches iv. 57 The demon altar of our land.

1909 W. S. Gilbert Fallen Fairies I. 190 The demon deeds Of all the goblin murder-mongers that Infest that sink of seething infamy!

1993 M. J. Plotkin Tales Shaman's Apprentice i. 2 Masks painted with glistening black demon faces, announcing an element of the macabre.

demon ship n.

ΚΠ

1827 T. Hood Whims & Oddities 2nd Ser. 38 (title) The demon-ship.

1917 W. Bassett Wander-ships 100 Most of these demon ships are not conceived to have been built by human hands.

2010 N. D. Wilson Chestnut King xix. 335 No one wants first foot on a demon ship?

demon worship n.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > kinds of worship > [noun] > of devils, demons, or the Devil

devil worship1533

demonomany1597

demon worshipa1638

demonomy1638

diabolism1650

demonolatry1655

devil-worshipping1677

devilism1688

demoniculture1879

demonism1920

a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) 124 Did not Dæmon-worship enter after the same manner?

1655 H. Hammond Acct. Mr. Cawdry's Triplex Diatribe iii. 50 The first [Commandment], which by commanding to have no other Gods but that one true God, excludes the δεισιδαιμονία or demon worship.

1722 R. Blackmore Redemption v. 281 O Rome, thy church infallible has err'd, Which æmulous of Pagan rites, transfer'd This demon-worship to the num'rous lands To which thy pontiffs send their proud commands.

1879 M. D. Conway Demonol. II. iv. xiv. 158 The theory that man could get along without any Angelolatry or Demon-worship.

1991 A. Campbell Sidewinder xii. 145 It was..a forbidden place, holding dark secrets associated with demon worship.

C2. Appositive.

a. Chiefly in sense 1, as demon bride, demon king, demon spirit, etc.

ΚΠ

1614 E. Grimeston tr. P. Matthieu Hist. Lewis XI i. 2 Paris receiues him as the Demon Gardian of her wals.

a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) 27 A worshipper of Dæmon-gods.

1711 R. Blackmore Nature of Man i. 25 Impious Priests, full of the Demon Guest,..Exclaiming loud, the Fiend within confest.

1795 Ld. Monboddo Antient Metaphysics IV. ii. vii. 160 Those Dæmon Kings of Egypt were real personages as much as Menes, their first human King.

1814 J. Galt Prophetess iii. iv Like the demon-hags of Tartarus.

1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 71 And let his spirit, like a demon-mole, Work through the clayey soil and gravel hard.

1890 E. H. Barker Wayfaring in France 15 That small demon-insect, the mosquito.

1904 M. Beerbohm Around Theatres (1924) II. 50 In the 'seventies pantomime was flourishing still. Demon King and Fairy Queen..were familiar.

1922 Theosophical Path Mar. 291 The demon-bride was seen by some upon the rocks urging the waves to madness.

1999 R. E. Guiley Encycl. Witches & Witchcraft (ed. 2) 221/2 A mandragoras, a demon spirit resembling a little man with no beard.

2006 New Yorker 25 Dec. 10/2 Tom Sawyer may represent a kind of demon-child.

b. In sense 4, as demon pitcher, demon player; demon cook, demon gardener, etc. In early use chiefly with reference to someone who excels in a particular sport.Recorded earliest in demon bowler n. at Compounds 5.Sometimes, esp. in later use, passing into adj.

ΚΠ

1861 Birmingham Daily Post 5 Sept. 3/2 Jackson, ‘the demon bowler’, is another member of this powerful team.

1884 Cleveland (Ohio) Herald 28 May 3/3 In New York they call Whitney the demon pitcher.

1890 Golf 26 Dec. 234/2 Peerless Horace..—a demon player.

1912 C. E. Van Loan Ten-thousand-dollar Arm 40 The last thing the demon hitter heard before the storm broke was the thud of the ball in the glove.

1977 New Yorker 3 Oct. 111/1 Curry, up to now a demon punter, could not average better than twenty-nine yards a kick.

1988 L. Colwin Home Cooking xvii. 111 ‘Don't serve it to men’, said an English friend of mine who is a demon cook.

1990 R. Blount First Hubby 183 The seven DaSilva siblings were demon campaigners, wearing hats, leading cheers.

1997 Condé Nast Traveler Mar. 187/3 Kunseng, a lady trader and a demon hand at pool.

2000 B. Weathers & S. G. Michaud Left for Dead 98 He was in any case a demon gardener—Jackson and Perkins, the rose people, often asked him to try out their new hybrids.

C3. Instrumental, as demon-born, demon-haunted, demon-infested, demon-possessed, etc.

ΚΠ

1797 R. Southey Poems 155 Nor dost thou Fancy with such magic mock My heart, as, demon-born, old Merlin knew.

1884 A. T. de Vere Poet. Wks. VI. 64 As one demon-possessed He glared upon that youth; his wan cheek burned.

1900 W. S. Urmy Christ came Again i. viii. 114 A demon-infested man repossessed by a sevenfold force of devils.

1924 R. Campbell Flaming Terrapin iii. 41 Sleep was a long dark tunnel demon-scooped Out of the Night's black rock.

1936 Discovery June 187/2 The newly-made spirit-doctors proceed to exorcise the pepo..from the scores of demon-stricken people.

1995 C. Sagan (title) The demon-haunted world.

C4. Objective, as demon hunter, demon hunting, demon killer, demon slayer, etc.

ΚΠ

1812 Morning Chron. 19 Nov. A new grand Melo Dramatic Spectacle, written by Miss Scott, called Asgard the Demon Hunter.

1889 Z. A. Ragozin Story of Media & Babylon iv. 73 The title of honor given..most frequently to Indra, the champion demon-killer of them all.

1927 Theosophist 48 539 The demon-killing has thus a threefold meaning.

1963 H. B. Franklin Wake of Gods ii. 50 He is no demon-hunting Ahab.

1997 Neon May 41/1 Bruce Campbell, newly transformed from weasely college kid to muscle-bound demon-slayer, dispenses pump-action justice with square-jawed savoir-faire.

C5.

demon bird n. any of various birds associated in folklore with misfortune or death, or regarded as demonic in nature or aspect; esp. the devil bird of Sri Lanka (see devil bird n. 3). [With reference to Sri Lanka used to render Sinhala ulama.]

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > order Strigiformes or owl > [noun] > unspecified and miscellaneous types

brown owl1678

demon bird1821

devil bird1846

cat-owl1854

1821 J. Davy Acct. Interior of Ceylon ii. iii. 424 During the night at Yadalgammé, we heard the cries of the demon-bird, or Ulama, as it is also called by the natives. Perched in a neighbouring tree, it made loud and hideous screams, conveying the idea of extreme distress.

1840 J. Forbes Eleven Years in Ceylon (1841) 353 I first heard the wild and wailing cry of the gaulawa, or demon-bird.

1861 Trans. Ethnol. Soc. London 1 43 The demon bird of the Assyrians.

1905 Spolia Zeylanica 3 30 The Demon bird, or ‘Ulamá’ of Ceylon, so-called on account of its dreadful moaning hoot, is commonly identified with Huhua nepalensis (= Bubo nipalensis) and also with Syrnium indrani.

1998 Jrnl. Irish Archaeol. 9 9/2 Tírechán referred to St Patrick's heroic visit to the mountain..during which time he was confronted by demon birds.

demon bowler n. Cricket an intimidatingly fast or exceptionally skilful bowler. Also used as an epithet of particular bowlers, esp. (originally) John Jackson (1833–1901) and (chiefly) Frederick Spofforth (1853–1926).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > bowler > types of bowler

slow bowler1823

fast bowler1828

bias bowler1854

round-arm1858

demon bowler1861

left-hander1864

chucker1882

lobster1889

slow1895

leg-breaker1904

speed merchant1913

leg-spinner1920

spin bowler1920

off-spinner1924

quickie1934

tweaker1935

swerve-bowler1944

pace bowler1947

seam bowler1948

spinner1951

seamer1952

wrist-spinner1957

outswinger1958

swing bowler1958

quick1960

stock bowler1968

paceman1972

leggy1979

1861Demon bowler [see Compounds 2b].

1878 Morning Post 29 May 7/5 Mr. E. F. Spofforth is called in Australia ‘The Demon Bowler’, and his performance on Monday appears to justify the title.

1899 County Gentleman 5 Aug. 969/1 The present dry season has been the despair of all demon bowlers, but batsmen have been delighted.

1931 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 19 Jan. 14/5 He and Francis, are a pair of demon bowlers, and by many judges, regarded as faster than Gregory at his best.

1996 Guardian 14 Mar. 8/1 The demon bowler, the canny golfer and the tennis pro all know how a spinning ball can swerve.

2012 Brisbane News (Nexis) 15 Aug. 10 I was a nervous batsman and lived in fear of a couple of Indian lads who were demon bowlers.

demonkind n. [after mankind n.] demons collectively.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > collective or race of

devilry1583

demonkind1706

orken1855

1706 R. Brocklesby Explic. Gospel-theism i. i. 9/2 The Demon-kind. Which intervening between the Gods and Men, [etc.].

1857 Tait's Edinb. Mag. 24 378 The sentences, on all mankind and demonkind.

2002 Australian (Nexis) 25 June c6 One of the more powerful demon clans wants to..enslave humankind and demonkind.

demonland n. [in quot. 1846 after Chinese Gŭifāng, a former (Shang Dynasty) place name ( < gŭi ghost, supernatural being, also used to denote some foreign peoples + fāng quarter, region)] a realm inhabited by evil beings or demons; an evil place; cf. fairyland n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > realm of

demonland1846

1846 W. H. Medhurst in tr. Shoo King 359 The inhabitants of the demon land [Chinese Gŭifāng] having become dissolute, Woo-ting attacked them.

1859 G. Wilson & A. Geikie Mem. E. Forbes i. 29 Grim or gentle visitants from Demonland or Fairyland.

1903 A. H. Lewis Black Lion Inn v. 56 Elves and gnomes and brownies and other malignant, small folk of Demonland.

2012 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 5 Feb. (Features section) 15 They [sc. the Anglo-Saxons] lived in the kind of lawless demonland that libertarians in the US would have us return to now, the rule of clans and hundreds of kings.

demon lover n. (a) a lover in spirit form; a lover that is a demon; also figurative; (b) an exceptionally good lover. Frequently with allusion to quot. 1816, hence often implying a lover who is alluring or enchanting.

ΚΠ

1816 S. T. Coleridge Kubla Khan in Christabel 56 A savage place! as holy and inchanted As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover!

1886 Macmillan's Mag. Dec. 152/1 It was like the good-bye of a girl who had been borne away by a demon-lover.

1937 P. G. Wodehouse Lord Emsworth & Others v. 172 When a woman is to all intents and purposes waiting for a demon lover, it requires super-salesmanship to induce her to accept..an Ernest Plinlimmon.

1988 D. Allison Trash 111 Katy always said she wanted to be the Demon Lover, the one we desire even when we know it is not us she wants, but our souls.

1995 N. Hornby High Fidelity (1996) v. 65 I know, however, that Ian was something of a demon lover... I could hear it all.

2007 S. L. Plum Solitary Goose 7 When Yellow Woman is kidnapped by a demon-lover..her sisters call her back.

demon possession n. = demonic possession n. at demonic adj. and n. Compounds.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > familiar or possessing spirit > possession by

wood dreameOE

demoniacal possession1601

possession1601

obsession1607

pythonism1654

demoniac possession1698

endiablementa1734

endemoniasm1751

demon possession1838

demonic possession1853

spirit possession1854

bedevilment1861

diabolepsy1886

1838 Foreign Q. Rev. 22 119 The Scripture doctrine demonstrates per se the fact of demon possession of a modified character.

1894 J. L. Nevius (title) Demon possession and allied themes.

1936 Discovery June 185 The condition of ‘demon possession’, which may be collective, affecting a whole village.

2006 D. Williams Start Here vii. 64 Because of the unscientific worldview in ancient time, what was really a psychotic disorder was seen as a demon possession.

demon star n. [ < demon n. + star n.¹, after Arabic al-ġūl the demon (see Algol n.¹)] Algol, the star β Persei.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > constellation > binary star or system > [noun] > eclipsing

Algola1393

demon star1868

1868 Fraser's Mag. Dec. 763/1 There is also the star Algol, or the Demon... But Eta Argûs exhibits far more remarkable changes than those presented by the Demon-star and the star Wonderful.

1971 C. Sergel You were born on Rotten Day i. 29 The demon star Algol is flashing disaster!

2001 P. Moore 2002 Yearbk. Astron. i. 106 Beta Lyrae..is a remarkable system. It is an eclipsing binary, but quite different from Algol, the Demon Star, in Perseus.

Derivatives

ˈdemonlike adv. and adj.

ΚΠ

1690 W. Baxter tr. Plutarch Of Isis & Osiris in M. Morgan et al. tr. Plutarch Morals IV. 94 We also hear Homer often calling such as are extraordinary good, Godlike... But the Epithet derived from Dæmons, we find him to bestow upon the Good and Bad indifferently, as; Dæmon-like, Sir, make hast.

1707 G. Hickes Two Treat. Pref. p. xlvi A Sovereign Pontif, and Dæmon-like Mediator betwixt God, and Man.

1764 J. Grainger Sugar-cane iii. 91 From every quarter, in tumultuous bands, The Negroes rush; and, 'mid the crackling flames, Plunge, dæmon-like!

1822 E. Nathan Langreath III. 416 Demon-like horrors.

1894 Pop. Sci. Monthly Nov. 10 The wild spirits of the mountains swept demonlike across the valley of the glaciers.

1999 Legacy 16 135 Warner's heroine exhibits demonlike characteristics that can never quite be contained.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	demon
释义	demonn.adj. Brit. /ˈdiːmən/, U.S. /ˈdimən/ Forms: α. Old English– demon, 1500s–1700s doemon, 1500s– daemon (in later use chiefly in branch II.), 1600s deemon. β. Old English demonia (plural), Middle English demonyes (plural). Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from French. Etymons: Latin daemōn; French demon. Etymology: In α. forms originally < (i) classical Latin daemōn (in post-classical Latin also demon: see below); subsequently reinforced by or reborrowed < (ii) Middle French demon, daemon (also daimon , daymon ), French démon spirit (whether good or evil) which governs the fate of an individual or of a group of people (c1370; 1552 in Rabelais denoting the attendant spirit of Socrates; rare before 1652), evil spirit, devil (a1380), (especially in classical mythology) supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans (1546), idol, false god (1605 or earlier), a source or cause of evil or great harm (1631 or earlier), (especially in Christian theology) one of the fallen angels (1690) < classical Latin daemōn supernatural being or spirit (2nd cent. a.d. in Apuleius), in post-classical Latin also evil spirit (late 2nd cent. in Tertullian), heathen deity, idol (Vulgate), inner or attendant spirit associated with a person (a1364 in the passage translated in quot. a1387 at sense 7, with reference to the genius of Socrates) < ancient Greek δαίμων god, goddess, divine power, deity, destiny, fate, good or evil genius of a family or person, in Hellenistic Greek also spiritual or semi-divine being, evil spirit < δαίεσθαι to divide (see geodetic n.) + -μων , suffix forming nouns. In β. forms < classical Latin daemonium (also daemonion) the indwelling spirit or genius claimed by Socrates (2nd cent. a.d. in Apuleius), in post-classical Latin also evil spirit, heathen deity, idol (late 2nd cent. in Tertullian) < ancient Greek δαιμόνιον divine power, divinity, inferior divine being, genius of Socrates, in Hellenistic Greek also evil spirit (especially in Septuagint, New Testament, and Christian writers), use as noun of neuter of δαιμόνιος of or belonging to a divine power, miraculous, marvellous < δαίμων + -ιος, suffix forming adjectives.Foreign-language parallels. Both Latin nouns were also borrowed into other European languages. Compare: (i) Catalan dèmon , Spanish †demon (c1230), Portuguese demo (1210), Italian demone (late 13th cent.), and also German Dämon (1521 as demon ; in early use often with Latin inflectional endings), all < Latin daemōn ; (ii) Old French demoine , demoygne evil spirit (first quarter of the 13th cent.), Old Occitan demoni , Catalan dimoni (12th cent.; also †demoni ), Spanish demonio (c1230), Portuguese demônio (13th cent.), Italian demonio (a1292), and also German Dämonium (1581 as daemonium ), all < classical Latin daemonium . Inflection in Old English The word is attested only twice in Old English: once as dative plural dēmonum , probably implying a strong masculine dēmon (see α. forms), and once as nominative plural dēmonia (see β. forms) with Latin (neuter nominative plural) case inflection. Semantic development of sense 1. The negative connotations of all three subsenses of sense 1 are largely due to the concept of demons in Judaism and Christianity. The Septuagint uses ancient Greek δαιμόνιον (not δαίμων ) to translate the two occurrences in the Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures of Hebrew šēdīm (plural noun) evil spirits, false gods (Deuteronomy 32:17, Psalm 106:37; in both instances with reference to sacrifices being offered to Canaanite idols), and also to translate two out of the four occurrences (Leviticus 17:7, 2 Chronicles 11:15) of śĕʿīrīm, plural of śāʿīr satyr. The same perception of foreign gods appears to be shown by Psalm 96:5 (compare quot. OE at sense 1b), where the Septuagint uses δαιμόνια to render Hebrew 'elilīm (plural noun) worthless gods, idols. The Hebrew texts of the Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures do not refer to evil spirits possessing people in exactly the same way as in the New Testament. However, there are several rough parallels: in 1 Samuel 16:14–23, 18:10, and 19:9, Saul is influenced by an evil spirit, which however is sent by God; and in Psalm 91:6, ancient Greek δαιμόνιον is used in the Septuagint to translate Hebrew qeṭeḇ ‘destruction’, which gave rise to the so-called ‘noonday demon’ (often taken in the Christian monastic tradition to mean the sin of sloth). In later post-exilic (Hellenistic) times, a concept of demons as possessing people and especially as the negative counterparts of God in a dualistic world view began to develop in Judaism, and it is in this context that ancient Greek δαιμόνιον frequently occurs in the Apocrypha or deuterocanonical books (especially in Tobit) and in the New Testament. The New Testament frequently mentions demonic possession and the casting out of evil spirits. Although the usual Greek word for such spirits in the New Testament is δαιμόνιον , in one instance (Matthew 8:31) δαίμονες (plural of δαίμων ) occurs in the same sense. By contrast, ancient Greek διάβολος (see diabolic adj.), the ulterior etymon of devil n., is not used in the plural in either the Septuagint or the New Testament. In the Vulgate, the Hebrew and Greek nouns are generally translated by classical Latin daemonium (plural daemonia ); however, daemōn (plural daemones ) is used once in the Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures (Leviticus 17:7) and in ten places in the New Testament (of which eight occur in the Gospel according to Matthew). The Latin, Greek, and Hebrew words mentioned are translated by devil n. in the West Saxon Gospels, as well as in the King James Bible and other early modern English versions of the Bible; the Wycliffite Bible uses both devil n. and fiend n. The Revised Version of 1881–5 substituted demon in Deuteronomy and Psalms, but in the New Testament retained devil in the text, with demon given in the margin. The lack of early evidence for demon in the sense ‘an evil spirit that possesses a person’ appears to be due to this substitution of devil n. in early English Bible versions. Other specific senses. In sense 4 originally after French diable devil (see diable int.; 1862 (in the passage translated in quot. 1865) or earlier in this sense). In sense 6, the patience game is apparently so called on account of its difficulty (compare quot. 1895). In the specific use in sense 7 (frequently in references to the ‘daemon of Socrates’; compare later daimon n.), ultimately after ancient Greek δαιμόνιον. Socrates claimed to be guided not by a δαίμων , but by a δαιμόνιον (compare classical Latin dīvīnum quiddam ‘a divine something’ (Cicero)), a certain divine principle or agency, an inward monitor or oracle. Socrates's accusers represented this as a personal ‘demon’ or evil spirit, and the same was done by many of the Church Fathers (under the influence of sense 1c), whence the post-classical Latin, and hence the English, uses in this sense. I. An evil spirit, and related senses. 1. a. Any evil spirit or malevolent supernatural being; a devil. Used in various religions and mythologies, and also in folklore, fairy tales, etc., to refer to a range of beings, including servants of the Devil, tormentors in hell, evil spirits that are conjured by humans, malevolent ghosts, etc.rock demon, water demon, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] evil angel, spiritc950 ghosteOE uncleanOE demonOE devilOE devilshineOE groa1225 debleriea1325 devilnessa1400 devilryc1400 sprat?a1475 nicker1481 fiend of hell1509 imp1526 virtue1584 elf1587 succubus1601 blue devilc1616 black man1656 woolsaw1757 buggane1775 bhut1785 demonic1785 pishachi1807 devil-devil1831 skookum1838 taipo1848 lightning bird1870 demonry1883 pisaca1885 mafufunyanas1963 mare1981 OE (Northumbrian) Liturgical Texts (Durham Ritual) in A. H. Thompson & U. Lindelöf Rituale Ecclesiae Dunelmensis (1927) 146 Ut defendat segites nostras a uermibus, a uolatilibus, a demonibus, a fulminibus, ab omni temptatione diabuli : þætte gescilde acras usa from wyrmum from flegendum from demonum uel from dioblum from legeðum from aelcum costunge diobles. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7876 Heo beoð ihaten ful iwis incubii demones. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 7974 Incubi demones is called þer name, ffendes in bedde, so þei sayn, þat many women haf forlayn. ?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 371 (MED) Blow flamys of fer..mak redy ageyn we com to this demon. 1566 Exam. John Walsh To Rdr. sig. A.ij^v Questioning with his Demon how long hee shoulde raygne Pope. 1594 T. Kyd tr. R. Garnier Cornelia iii. sig. E^v Thinke not it was Pompeys spryte, But some false Dæmon that beguild your sight. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) ii. ii. 118 If that same Dæmon that hath gull'd thee thus, Should with his Lyon-gate walke the whole world. View more context for this quotation 1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. iii. iv. 32 [They] fired their Guns to kill the old Dæmon that they say inhabits there to disturb poor Seamen. 1766 W. Kenrick Falstaff's Wedding v. iv. 61 In the name of heav'n and earth, what art thou? Ouphe, fairy, ghost, hobgoblin, or demon? 1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity I. i. 8 A malignant dæmon had brought [them] into his power. 1813 W. Scott Bridal of Triermain ii. Concl. vii. 113 But would'st thou bid the demons fly Like mist before the dawning sky. 1865 T. Wright Hist. Caricature & Grotesque iv. 69 The three special characteristics of mediæval demons were horns, hoofs..and tails. 1954 Artibus Asiae Supplementum 13 41 Their consorts..reveal themselves in the lower scene as rāksasīs, female demons ready and eager to devour their mates. 1983 M. S. Peck People of Lie (1985) iii. 117 Myths in which princes and princesses and other beings have become captive to the evil power of some wicked witch or demon. 2012 G. Damico Croak xviii. 227 ‘Will the fiery demons of hell be arriving to claim your mortality?’ ‘No, the fiery hell demons have the weekend off.’ b. An idol, a false god. Now historical.In implicit or explicit contrast with the Christian God. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > false or heathen god devileOE demonOE false goda1175 field-devil1530 puppetries1610 OE Arundel Psalter xcv. 5 Quoniam omnes dii gentium demonia, dominus autem celos fecit : forðon ealle godas þeoda demonia drihten soþlice heofonas geworhte. 1620 W. Hart tr. F. de Croÿ Three Conformities i. v. 10 The infinitenes of diuers patrons, aduocates, and tutelare Saints, whom you haue substituted in place of the ancient Gods and Demons [Fr. demons] of the Gentiles, whose names are vnknowne each to another. 1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. III iii. 51 Al the Phenician Baalim and Grecian Demons were but Idolatric Imitamens or Apes of the true Messias. 1732 P. Smith Preservative against Quakerism ii. 26 To worship that lying Spirit as God, is really the same gross Idolatry, with that of the Heathens worshipping of Demons or Devils as the true God. 1885 Bible (R.V.) Deut. xxxii. 17 They sacrificed unto demons, which were no God. 1916 G. F. Taylor Second Coming of Jesus xxviii. 174 Hundreds of years before Christ, men worshipped demons. 2011 S. A. Mitchell Witchcraft & Magic in Nordic Middle Ages iii. 92 From the perspective of the thirteenth-century saga authors, the heathen world is..a world consisting entirely of soulless mechanistic appeals to demons. c. An evil spirit that possesses a person, animal, etc.In quot. 1613 with admixture of sense 1b. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > familiar or possessing spirit spiritc1350 familiar devila1464 familiar spirita1545 Python1548 familiar1583 succubus1601 demon1613 paredrusa1641 maisterel1652 obsessor1652 paredrial1652 cad1657 kanaima1825 Zar1868 1613 T. Milles tr. P. Mexia et al. Treasurie Auncient & Moderne Times viii. x. 765/2 Those Gods which the Iewes had caused to be left to the people..consisted of dumbe and insensible Statues... Infamous Dæmons possessed themselues of these Statues and Symulacres. 1651 J. F. tr. H. C. Agrippa Three Bks. Occult Philos. iii. xli. 481 These souls sometimes..seise upon the bodies of creeping things, and brutes, entering into them, what kind soever they be of, possessing them like Demons. 1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe v. 706 Persons..wholly Demoniacal and Possessed by Evil Demons. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Demoniac A Person possess'd with a Spirit, or Demon. 1767 T. Hutchinson Hist. Province Massachusets-Bay, 1691–1750 i. 16 A young woman..supposed to be posessed with dæmons. 1884 E. B. Tylor in Science 19 Dec. 547 The old philosophy which accounts for disease in general as the intrusion of a malignant spirit still largely remains; and the exorcising such a demon is practised by white men as a religious rite. 1922 G. H. Hubbard Spiritual Messages of Miracle Stories xix. 160 A sorrowing father brings his little son, who is possessed by a demon. 2005 Church Times 7 Oct. 10/2 It requires skill to identify and then to bind and exorcise the demon. 2. a. A cruel, wicked, or destructive person or animal. Also in weakened use: a mischievous or unmanageable person, esp. a child. Cf. devil n. 4, fiend n. 4a. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > harmfulness > ill-will > thing or person > [noun] demon1591 the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > unkindness > ill will, malevolence > [noun] > person or thing displaying devilOE hatelc1175 fiendc1220 hellhoundc1340 foea1393 atterlingc1450 basilisk1477 ill-willerc1500 attercop1508 malign1536 ettercapa1583 demon1591 viper1596 dragon1600 ill-wisher1607 malevolent1609 malevolo1648 1591 E. Spenser Ruines of Rome in Complaints sig. S3^v The Romaine Dæmon Doth yet himselfe with fatall hand enforce, Againe on foote to reare her pouldred corse. 1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iii. v. 41 in Wks. II A caueat against cutpurses!..i' faith, I would faine see that Dæmon, your Cutpurse, you talke of. 1776 J. Leacock Fall Brit. Tyranny 22 Lord Paramount is that demon, that bird of prey, that ministerial cormorant, that waits to devour, and who first thought to disturb the repose of America. 1821 W. Scott Pirate III. xiii. 309 The Boatswain used to be staunch enough, and so is Goffe, though an incarnate demon. 1829 T. Carlyle in Foreign Rev. Jan. 421 The Tartar Khan, with his shaggy demons of the wilderness. 1913 Methodist Rev. Mar. 188 Petrarch..declares in his prose works woman to be a true demon. 1934 J. Tobias Ready-made Family ii. 37 Gracie pulls the rope taut. Henry trips and falls sprawling... You little demon! What did you do that for? 1997 Bangkok Post 26 Feb. 8/6 They denounce him as a greedy corporate demon who's trying to dominate the Internet. 2004 F. W. Thackeray Events that changed Germany p. ix Hitler and his Nazi demons enslaved a not-unwilling Germany. †b. A hideously ugly animal. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > [noun] neteneOE wightc888 deerc950 beastc1225 jument1382 creaturea1387 animala1398 bestialc1400 bullifanta1528 bovya1549 animant1599 man or beast1600 breather1609 fellow creature1726 fig-fauns1750 critter1815 fellow1816 demon1821 skelm1827 1821 T. G. Wainewright in London Mag. Apr. 442/1 The grim demon of a bull-dog, who interrupts the cat in her unhallowed dalliance with the rat. 3. a. A source or cause of evil or great harm; something pernicious or corrupting; esp. a destructive emotion or activity. Frequently personified. Also in apposition. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > [noun] > source of demon1635 ki-mon1871 1635 E. Grimeston tr. M. Baudier Hist. Imperiall Estate Grand Seigneurs xix. 113 Necessitie is a powerfull Dæmon [Fr. demon], and his vertue makes him also to be honoured. 1677 Z. Babington Advice to Grand Jurors To Rdr. sig. B7^v Not with a direct design to kill any, but rather to fright, weaken, and drive away that Dæmon of Passion in man to commit Murther. 1695 T. W. tr. J. Abbadie Art of knowing One-self ii. i. 95 By the God of this Age, he means the Demon of Concupiscence. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 387. ¶11 Melancholy is a kind of Demon that haunts our Island. 1754 W. Pitt Let. 24 Jan. in Lett. to Nephew (1804) v. 39 Beware..of Anger, that dæmon, that destroyer of our peace. 1809 N. Pinkney Trav. South of France 86 The dæmon of anarchy has here raised a superb trophy on a monument of ruins. 1838 Jrnl. Amer. Temperance Union Mar. 39/2 The sufferings which the demon Intemperance is scattering broad-cast around him. 1873 T. W. Knox Underground l. 729 He was then ahead of the game nearly one thousand dollars, and the demon of avarice was fully aroused in his soul. 1894 ‘R. Andom’ We Three & Troddles xxii. 210 The demon dyspepsia had marked him down. 1921 Ice & Refrigeration Dec. 379/1 That wretched demon—jealousy, was being eliminated, and a spirit of hearty cooperation had taken its place. 1955 P. Larkin Let. 16 Apr. in Lett. Monica (2010) 152 You may make a supreme effort one evening, say, to ‘talk it out’, to banish the demon, & so on, putting out all your unselfishness and concern for her—but in the morning you'll find nothing has altered. 1993 S. Elkins & E. L. McKitrick Age of Federalism (1995) vii. 281 The demon of speculation may undoubtedly be seen as the demon of capitalism itself. 2003 D. E. Talbert Baggage Claim (2005) 115 Lust is a demon. And it ain't no small demon. b. spec. With reference to alcoholic drink or (in later use) a drug regarded as evil or harmful. Chiefly with the, and frequently in apposition (sometimes passing into attributive), as demon drink, demon rum, demon weed, etc. Now frequently used facetiously. When used in apposition, sometimes passing into an adjective.See also drink-demon n. at drink n. Compounds 1a(a). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] drink1042 liquor1340 bousea1350 cidera1382 dwale1393 sicera1400 barrelc1400 strong drinkc1405 watera1475 swig1548 tipple1581 amber1598 tickle-brain1598 malt pie1599 swill1602 spicket1615 lap1618 John Barleycornc1625 pottle1632 upsy Englisha1640 upsy Friese1648 tipplage1653 heartsease1668 fuddle1680 rosin1691 tea1693 suck1699 guzzlea1704 alcohol1742 the right stuff1748 intoxicant1757 lush1790 tear-brain1796 demon1799 rum1799 poison1805 fogram1808 swizzle1813 gatter1818 wine(s) and spirit(s)1819 mother's milkc1821 skink1823 alcoholics1832 jough1834 alky1844 waipiro1845 medicine1847 stimulant1848 booze1859 tiddly1859 neck oil1860 lotion1864 shrab1867 nose paint1880 fixing1882 wet1894 rabbit1895 shicker1900 jollop1920 mule1920 giggle-water1929 rookus juice1929 River Ouse1931 juice1932 lunatic soup1933 wallop1933 skimish1936 sauce1940 turps1945 grog1946 joy juice1960 1799 Columbian Songster iv. xciii. 29 How happy is the man, Who has a quiet home; Who loves to do what good he can, And hates the demon, Rum. 1829 Vermont Chron. 17 July 114/4 We have many in the ship, who might have been an ornament to society, but for the demon, drink. 1832 Sailor's Mag. July 347 But O, the demon Rum! has been the cause..of all this mournful change. 1840 Teetotaler 1 Aug. 43/2 What damns tens and hundreds of thousands of souls yearly? Will not every tongue reply, ‘'Tis drink! the demon drink!’ 1848 Sc. Temperance Rev. June 285/2 Intemperance is a possession as well as a disease, alcohol is the demon, we are determined to cast him out. 1873 Sword & Trowel June 270 The demon whisky keeps his votaries in too willing subjection. 1915 99th Ann. Rep. Amer. Bible Soc. 55 People were in mourning, for that demon, drink, had been voted out of the town. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xiii. [Nausicaa] 338 Had her father only avoided the clutches of the demon drink. 1939 D. Thomas Coll. Lett. (1987) 380 I'm just about to pawn, for debts and the demon alcohol, a silver christening present to Llewelyn. 1976 New Scientist 19 Feb. 424/1 The Russians are fighting the good fight against the demon vodka. 1989 Crisis Mar. 3/1 Some truly horrifying accounts of the degradation wrought by drugs, especially by the new demon, crack. 1998 S. D. Cashman Amer. Ascendant vi. 155 Thousands of pamphlets and posters warning people of the evils of demon drink. 2002 Chicago Tribune 17 Apr. i. 13/1 Political notables..who have admitted to partaking of the demon weed in their youth. c. In plural. Recurrent (and often destructive) fears, compulsions, anxieties, etc., experienced by a person. Frequently with possessive. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > apprehension > [noun] > apprehension > emotion caused by sense of danger fearc1175 effere1553 demons1874 1874 F. L. Benedict Frank Worthington's Name xxv. 141/1 So Milly battled with her demons, and yielded to the fierce dictates of her jealousy and her rage. 1940 Washington Post 9 Sept. 6 After considerable stroking, soothing, and patting upon my part, Junior again lies quietly, the calm and beatific smile upon his features indicating that his demons have been at least temporarily subdued. 1967 Guardian 14 May 18 The cruellest, most brilliant sport..where a man wrestles with his demons. 1991 S. C. Cohen Lives of Value i. 8 Mostly I spend time alone in my office, struggling with my demons, though I love my work as much as I love anything in my life—sometimes more. 2012 Independent 20 Jan. 17/4 One night I failed to sleep a wink but completed a day's work without incident, and this helped to banish some of the demons. 4. a. An exceptionally fast, strong, energetic, or skilful person or animal, esp. one that is extremely skilful at a particular activity. Also: a fanatic or enthusiast for an activity, habit, etc. Also in extended use. Cf. Compounds 2b. See also speed demon n. at speed n. Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [noun] > vigorous or energetic person > extremely > of superhuman energy or skill demon1865 1865 F. C. L. Wraxall tr. E. About in Second Empire in French Lit. II. vii. 134 Fears might have been entertained that poor Fougas would die in the first hour of his life, but this demon of a man [Fr. ce diable d'homme] bent and straightened again like a spring. 1877 Coursing Cal. Autumn 1876 315 It was hard lines indeed for Mr Watson to meet with such a demon of a hare for the decider. 1888 G. M. Hopkins Let. 19 Oct. (1935) 296 Sir Robert Stewart (a demon for rule) says it is correct. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 6 Feb. 3/1 He is a demon of accuracy. 1905 Shearer (Sydney) 19 Aug. 8/3 If for ‘yakker’ [= work] you're a demon You can do their share as well! 1908 D. Blackburn Leaven 268 Gambling? He's a demon at it... He is very smart. 1948 J. Fairfax Run o' Waters 58 The Little Falcon..a little black demon of incredible speed. 1963 A. Baron Lowlife ix. 72 She was a demon for economizing. 1989 Car & Driver Oct. 134/3 The Hatchback should be a demon, however, at slaloming around high monthly payments. 1995 Alternative Press May 43/2 In the studio, Sweet is a demon, banging down tracks and approving first mixes. 2008 R. Farooki Corner Shop (2009) 293 She's the fittest by far, I'll bet she's a demon in the sack. b. like a demon: very energetically or assiduously; in a very skilful or thorough way; with great endurance. Frequently in to work like a demon. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)] twig1573 to go at ——1675 to go it1794 to come it1796 to lay it on thick1806 to blaze away1826 bushwhack1837 steam1842 split1844 rustle1882 to work like a demon1884 yank1888 go-at-it1904 to go somea1911 to put a jerk in it1919 to go (also do) one's (also a) dinger1923 to work (etc.) one's ass off1924 to go to town1933 to gie (or give) it laldy1974 the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > acting vigorously or energetically [phrase] > with great vigour or energy with (also in) mood and maineOE vigour13.. with or by (all one's) might and mainc1330 with (one's) forcec1380 like anything1665 hammer and tongs1708 like stour1787 (in) double tides1788 like blazes1818 like winking1827 with a will1827 like winky1830 like all possessed1833 in a big way1840 like (or worse than) sin1840 full swing1843 like a Trojan1846 like one o'clock1847 like sixty1848 like forty1852 like wildfire1857 like old boots1865 like blue murder1867 like steam1905 like stink1929 like one thing1938 like a demon1945 up a storm1953 1884 M. E. Braddon Ishmael I. vii. 117 He was idle and irregular in his life, worked with fury for a couple of days, and then left off for three, or worked like a demon for a morning, and spent the whole afternoon out of doors. 1931 M. Moore Let. 24 June in Sel. Lett. (1997) 257 I take my jeroba up there and am working like a demon to complete it. 1945 T. Raddall Tambour 154 MacNeill backskating like a demon, swung in and pokechecked shrewdly. 1970 E. Kübler-Ross On Death & Dying (1973) viii. 130 I could work like a demon. I had fellows that came to my house and told my wife that I worked too hard. 2006 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 9 July 9/1 I'm actually a real girly girl. I get my nails and hair done, and shop like a demon. 5. Chiefly Australian slang (usually depreciative). a. A policeman, esp. a detective. [Probably punningly after D-man (although this is apparently first attested later; < D. n. at D n. Initialisms 3a (compare also dee n. 2) + man n.¹).] ΘΚΠ society > law > law enforcement > investigation of crime > [noun] > detective plant1812 plain clothes1822 detective1850 plainclothesman1856 mouser1863 D.1869 sleuth1872 tec1879 dee1882 demon1889 sleuth-hound1890 split1891 fink1903 hawkshaw1903 busy1904 dick1905 gumshoe1913 Richard1914 shamus1925 cozzer1950 Five-O1983 1889 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang I. 304/1 Demons (Australian), prison slang for police. ‘The demons put pincher on me’, I was apprehended. 1891 Truth (Sydney) 17 May 3/4 I only wish I had one of them button-hole cameras you see advertised—the demons use them I believe. 1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Nov. 38/1 Those ‘demons’, the fools, were chasing the wrong people, as usual. 1941 K. Tennant Battlers viii. 96 The showers were ‘demons’, or plain-clothes detectives. 1950 Here & Now (N.Z.) 16 Nov. When they got to the station a big demon walked into Joe's cell with his coat off. 1967 K. Giles Death & Mr. Prettyman ii. 61 ‘Tell the truth, Bert,’ said the Australian, ‘always help a demon in distress.’ 2006 R. Bramwell in C. Hooper Tall Man (2009) i. 38 I was visited by four demons..who obtained a statement from me. b. A convict, esp. an escaped convict; a bushranger. Now historical and rare. [Punningly after Van Diemen's Land (also humorously respelt as Van Demon's Land, 1836 or earlier), the former name of the island of Tasmania to which convicts were formerly deported (see Vandemonian adj. and n.).] ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > robber > brigand > [noun] > in other countries dacoit1788 gang-robber1812 bush-ranger1817 klepht1820 flayer1832 ranger1840 dacoity1849 sticker-up1853 boh1888 demon1909 shifta1920 1909 J. R. Ware Passing Eng. Victorian Era 107/1 Demons, old hands at bushranging; derived from men who arrive from Van Dieman's [sic] Land (Tasmania), some of whom are popularly supposed to have inaugurated bushranging in Australia. 1945 S. J. Baker Austral. Lang. ii. 42 A large number of synonyms for convict became current [in the early part of the nineteenth century], among them canary, transport,..demon (a Van Diemen's Land convict), [etc.]. 1986 R. Hughes Fatal Shore (1988) xv. 565 Every unsolved crime in Victoria..was automatically blamed on the ‘Vandemonians’, or simply the ‘Demons’. 6. British. Cards. More fully demon patience. Also with capital initial(s). A kind of one-pack patience game played with a tableau of four columns and a reserve of thirteen cards. Also occasionally: = racing demon n. at racing n.² Compounds 2. In the United States known as Canfield (see Canfield n.). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > patience or solitaire > [noun] > varieties of spider1890 demon1893 Miss Milligan1899 Klondike1902 Canfield1912 poker patience1912 clock solitaire1919 pisha paysha1928 clock patience1937 1893 M. W. Jones Games of Patience 3rd Ser. ix. 19 Demon Patience. 1895 ‘J. S. Winter’ Magnificent Young Man xvii. 156 It is well called ‘Demon Patience’. I have often tried a dozen times to do it and failed each time. 1900 ‘L. Hoffmann’ Illustr. Bk. Patience Games 36 The Demon. 1918 H. G. Wells Joan & Peter xi. 388 A new card game, Demon Patience, a scrambling sort of game in which you piled on aces in the middle and cried ‘Stop!’ as soon as your stack was out. 1919 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 4 Oct. (1993) III. 7 You know how, when we get hungry, we are at last even unable to play demon for wanting the hashhammer to sound. 1936 ‘P. Quentin’ Puzzle for Fools xii. 95 I began to wonder whether she stole cards from a concealed pack... Her demon came out three times running. 1976 D. Parlett Patience Games 11/1 With minimal scope for skill, Demon is..unlikely to appeal to any but hard-bitten gamblers. 2009 P. Lively Family Album 113 Monopoly, badminton in the garden, demon patience, quoits in the garden, snakes and ladders, why not get out the table tennis things? II. In neutral or positive senses: a supernatural being, spirit, or divinity. 7. Frequently with possessive adjective. A spirit associated with a particular person; an inner or attendant spirit; (also) an inner source of creative inspiration.See note in etymology. The sense ‘inner or attendant spirit’ is now frequently associated with Philip Pullman's trilogy of novels His Dark Materials (1995–2000), in which, in a parallel universe, a daemon is a person's soul or spirit which exists outside the body in the form of an animal (cf. quots. 1997 and 2007). ΚΠ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 279 We haveþ i-lerned of Socrates, þat was alway tendaunt to a spirit þat was i-cleped demon [L. dæmon]. 1597 H. M. tr. J. Du Bec-Crispin Hist. Tamerlan 6 The gouernment of his estate, wherin he [sc. Tamerlane] said his professed Demon [Fr. son Dæmon de profession] did oftentimes especiallie direct him. 1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1222 The soule..that obeieth not nor hearkeneth to her owne familiar and proper dæmon [Fr. Dæmon; Gk. δαίμονα]. a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) ii. iii. 17 Oh Anthony..Thy Dæmon that thy spirit which keepes thee, is Noble, Couragious, high vnmatchable. 1758 J. Home Agis ii. 24 Inspiration, The guardian God, the Demon of the mind, Thus often presses on the human breast. 1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. ii. 162 Conscience particularly acts as a monitor, like Socrates's Demon. 1865 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. Rationalism I. iv. 414 (note) Minucius Felix thought the dæmon of Socrates was a devil. 1932 R. Kipling Limits & Renewals 142 Was my Demon going to lay the hot coal of inspiration on Lettcombe's unshorn lips—not on mine? 1981 C. Potok Bk. Lights i. i. 26 There is deep, deep within us the irrational as well. It is our motor energy, our creative demon. 1997 P. Pullman Subtle Knife (1998) vi. 124 You're talking about Stan Grumman? His dæmon was an osprey. 2007 S. R. Munt Queer Attachments (2008) vii. 188 Pullman establishes the strangeness of this world by granting each person a daemon, which can be variously interpreted as the individual soul, spirit, emotional expression, unconscious, [etc.]. 8. Greek Mythology. A supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans; an inferior divinity or spirit; spec. the soul of a deceased person, esp. a deified hero. ΚΠ 1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa Of Vanitie Artes & Sci. f. 2 Grammarians..doo expounde this woord Dæmon, that is a Spirite, as if it were Sapiens, that is, Wise [L. grammatici plerique dæmones quasi scientes exponunt]. 1572 R. Harrison tr. L. Lavater Of Ghostes i. i. 2 The Gentiles (as S. Augustine and other fathers doo testifie) supposed that the soules of men became Dæmones, that is, good or euill angels. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xix. 346 And vnto Cratylus ageine [Plato] saith, when the good man departeth this world,..he becommeth a Demon [Fr. dæmon]. a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) (subtitle) The gentiles theology of dæmons, i.e. inferiour divine powers: supposed to be mediatours between God and man. 1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 252 Dæmons according to the Greek idiom, signify either Angels, or the Souls of men, any Spirits out of Terrestrial bodies, the Souls of Saints, and Spirits of Angels. 1774 J. Bryant New Syst. (new ed.) I. 52 Subordinate dæmons, which they supposed to be emanations and derivatives from their chief Deity. 1846 G. Grote Hist. Greece I. i. ii. 91 In Homer, there is scarcely any distinction between gods and dæmons. 1904 H. S. Williams Historians' Hist. World III. iv. 104 The Curetes..appear also as beneficent daemons in the Cretan folk-lore. 2009 A. F. Garvie in Æschylus Persae 76 Petrounias..at least asks why it is all right for Darius to be described in such terms, but his answer, that he is dead and functions as a daemon, is unsatisfactory. 9. Esp. in non-Christian contexts: any spirit or supernatural being (not regarded as intrinsically evil). ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > [noun] ghostOE spiritc1350 minda1398 sprite?1440 intelligencea1456 esperite1477 intelligency1582 genio1590 geniusa1592 ethereal1610 spirituality1628 supernatural1660 jynx1662 duende1691 atua1769 nat1819 demon1822 Wandjina1938 1822 Time's Telescope: Guide to Almanack 80 He is supposed to be a kind of benevolent demon... He is presumed to befriend the human race. 1850 H. Christmas tr. A. Calmet Phantom World xlvii. 343 Some have advanced the opinion that there were certain benign demons, differing from those who are malevolent and hostile to mankind, to which (benign demons) they have attributed playful and harmless operations. 1923 D. A. Mackenzie Myths China & Japan vi. 73 In early Buddhist art the mungoose, spitting jewels, is placed in the right hand of Kubera, god of wealth, who stands on the back of a Yaksha (a bird demon). 1963 M. I. Gerhardt Art of Story-telling iv. iv. 337 The same demon who did Ma'rûf such a good turn by transporting him to a far country, now takes ill-advised pity on the abandoned Fâtima and transports her likewise. 1991 G. H. Sutherland Disguises of Demon iv. 112 He demonstrates that there are, indeed, good animals and bad animals, good demons and wicked demons. 10. Any of various notional entities having special abilities, used in scientific thought experiments. Frequently with reference to the particular person associated with the experiment; cf. Maxwell's demon n. at Maxwell n.² 1a, Laplace n. 1.Apparently arising from Descartes' use of a powerful or omnipotent evil demon which attempts to mislead him as to the nature of reality and existence: see Descartes Meditationes (1641) i. §xii. ΚΠ 1874 W. Thomson in Proc. Royal Soc. Edinb. 8 (1875) 326 (note) The definition of a demon, according to the use of this word by Maxwell, is an intelligent being endowed with free-will and fine enough tactile and perceptive organization to give him the faculty of observing and influencing individual molecules of matter. 1931 Monist 41 3 Utilizing these data an imaginary being like Laplace's demon..could calculate the state at any time. 1988 Sci. Amer. Feb. 6/1 No harm would be done if a demon could produce a small temperature difference in a small system containing only a few molecules. 2006 C. Seife Decoding Universe 78 The demon simply had to decide which side of a partition an atom is on—but the physics underlying Szilard's demon was precisely the same as Maxwell's. Compounds C1. a. General attributive (chiefly in sense 1), as demon deed, demon idolatry, etc. ΚΠ a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) 13 Did not God forbid his people this rite because abused to Dæmon Idolatry? 1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. III iii. 177 Al those demon-doctrines..introduced by Antichrist and his Sectators. 1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. III iii. 56 The Demon-theology..was brought into the Christian Church first by the Gnostics. 1718 N. Amhurst Protestant Popery ii. 28 On Dæmon-Wings she reach'd the Coasts of Day. 1774 J. Bryant New Syst. (new ed.) I. 141 Among all the dæmon herd what one is there of a form..so odious..as Priapus. 1814 Ld. Byron Corsair ii. iv. 38 Some Afrit sprite, Whose demon death-blow left no hope for fight. 1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters I. xi. 144 They seem endowed with demon life! 1863 W. Phillips Speeches iv. 57 The demon altar of our land. 1909 W. S. Gilbert Fallen Fairies I. 190 The demon deeds Of all the goblin murder-mongers that Infest that sink of seething infamy! 1993 M. J. Plotkin Tales Shaman's Apprentice i. 2 Masks painted with glistening black demon faces, announcing an element of the macabre. b. demon ship n. ΚΠ 1827 T. Hood Whims & Oddities 2nd Ser. 38 (title) The demon-ship. 1917 W. Bassett Wander-ships 100 Most of these demon ships are not conceived to have been built by human hands. 2010 N. D. Wilson Chestnut King xix. 335 No one wants first foot on a demon ship? demon worship n. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > kinds of worship > [noun] > of devils, demons, or the Devil devil worship1533 demonomany1597 demon worshipa1638 demonomy1638 diabolism1650 demonolatry1655 devil-worshipping1677 devilism1688 demoniculture1879 demonism1920 a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) 124 Did not Dæmon-worship enter after the same manner? 1655 H. Hammond Acct. Mr. Cawdry's Triplex Diatribe iii. 50 The first [Commandment], which by commanding to have no other Gods but that one true God, excludes the δεισιδαιμονία or demon worship. 1722 R. Blackmore Redemption v. 281 O Rome, thy church infallible has err'd, Which æmulous of Pagan rites, transfer'd This demon-worship to the num'rous lands To which thy pontiffs send their proud commands. 1879 M. D. Conway Demonol. II. iv. xiv. 158 The theory that man could get along without any Angelolatry or Demon-worship. 1991 A. Campbell Sidewinder xii. 145 It was..a forbidden place, holding dark secrets associated with demon worship. C2. Appositive. a. Chiefly in sense 1, as demon bride, demon king, demon spirit, etc. ΚΠ 1614 E. Grimeston tr. P. Matthieu Hist. Lewis XI i. 2 Paris receiues him as the Demon Gardian of her wals. a1638 J. Mede Apostasy Latter Times (1641) 27 A worshipper of Dæmon-gods. 1711 R. Blackmore Nature of Man i. 25 Impious Priests, full of the Demon Guest,..Exclaiming loud, the Fiend within confest. 1795 Ld. Monboddo Antient Metaphysics IV. ii. vii. 160 Those Dæmon Kings of Egypt were real personages as much as Menes, their first human King. 1814 J. Galt Prophetess iii. iv Like the demon-hags of Tartarus. 1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 71 And let his spirit, like a demon-mole, Work through the clayey soil and gravel hard. 1890 E. H. Barker Wayfaring in France 15 That small demon-insect, the mosquito. 1904 M. Beerbohm Around Theatres (1924) II. 50 In the 'seventies pantomime was flourishing still. Demon King and Fairy Queen..were familiar. 1922 Theosophical Path Mar. 291 The demon-bride was seen by some upon the rocks urging the waves to madness. 1999 R. E. Guiley Encycl. Witches & Witchcraft (ed. 2) 221/2 A mandragoras, a demon spirit resembling a little man with no beard. 2006 New Yorker 25 Dec. 10/2 Tom Sawyer may represent a kind of demon-child. b. In sense 4, as demon pitcher, demon player; demon cook, demon gardener, etc. In early use chiefly with reference to someone who excels in a particular sport.Recorded earliest in demon bowler n. at Compounds 5.Sometimes, esp. in later use, passing into adj. ΚΠ 1861 Birmingham Daily Post 5 Sept. 3/2 Jackson, ‘the demon bowler’, is another member of this powerful team. 1884 Cleveland (Ohio) Herald 28 May 3/3 In New York they call Whitney the demon pitcher. 1890 Golf 26 Dec. 234/2 Peerless Horace..—a demon player. 1912 C. E. Van Loan Ten-thousand-dollar Arm 40 The last thing the demon hitter heard before the storm broke was the thud of the ball in the glove. 1977 New Yorker 3 Oct. 111/1 Curry, up to now a demon punter, could not average better than twenty-nine yards a kick. 1988 L. Colwin Home Cooking xvii. 111 ‘Don't serve it to men’, said an English friend of mine who is a demon cook. 1990 R. Blount First Hubby 183 The seven DaSilva siblings were demon campaigners, wearing hats, leading cheers. 1997 Condé Nast Traveler Mar. 187/3 Kunseng, a lady trader and a demon hand at pool. 2000 B. Weathers & S. G. Michaud Left for Dead 98 He was in any case a demon gardener—Jackson and Perkins, the rose people, often asked him to try out their new hybrids. C3. Instrumental, as demon-born, demon-haunted, demon-infested, demon-possessed, etc. ΚΠ 1797 R. Southey Poems 155 Nor dost thou Fancy with such magic mock My heart, as, demon-born, old Merlin knew. 1884 A. T. de Vere Poet. Wks. VI. 64 As one demon-possessed He glared upon that youth; his wan cheek burned. 1900 W. S. Urmy Christ came Again i. viii. 114 A demon-infested man repossessed by a sevenfold force of devils. 1924 R. Campbell Flaming Terrapin iii. 41 Sleep was a long dark tunnel demon-scooped Out of the Night's black rock. 1936 Discovery June 187/2 The newly-made spirit-doctors proceed to exorcise the pepo..from the scores of demon-stricken people. 1995 C. Sagan (title) The demon-haunted world. C4. Objective, as demon hunter, demon hunting, demon killer, demon slayer, etc. ΚΠ 1812 Morning Chron. 19 Nov. A new grand Melo Dramatic Spectacle, written by Miss Scott, called Asgard the Demon Hunter. 1889 Z. A. Ragozin Story of Media & Babylon iv. 73 The title of honor given..most frequently to Indra, the champion demon-killer of them all. 1927 Theosophist 48 539 The demon-killing has thus a threefold meaning. 1963 H. B. Franklin Wake of Gods ii. 50 He is no demon-hunting Ahab. 1997 Neon May 41/1 Bruce Campbell, newly transformed from weasely college kid to muscle-bound demon-slayer, dispenses pump-action justice with square-jawed savoir-faire. C5. demon bird n. any of various birds associated in folklore with misfortune or death, or regarded as demonic in nature or aspect; esp. the devil bird of Sri Lanka (see devil bird n. 3). [With reference to Sri Lanka used to render Sinhala ulama.] ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > order Strigiformes or owl > [noun] > unspecified and miscellaneous types brown owl1678 demon bird1821 devil bird1846 cat-owl1854 1821 J. Davy Acct. Interior of Ceylon ii. iii. 424 During the night at Yadalgammé, we heard the cries of the demon-bird, or Ulama, as it is also called by the natives. Perched in a neighbouring tree, it made loud and hideous screams, conveying the idea of extreme distress. 1840 J. Forbes Eleven Years in Ceylon (1841) 353 I first heard the wild and wailing cry of the gaulawa, or demon-bird. 1861 Trans. Ethnol. Soc. London 1 43 The demon bird of the Assyrians. 1905 Spolia Zeylanica 3 30 The Demon bird, or ‘Ulamá’ of Ceylon, so-called on account of its dreadful moaning hoot, is commonly identified with Huhua nepalensis (= Bubo nipalensis) and also with Syrnium indrani. 1998 Jrnl. Irish Archaeol. 9 9/2 Tírechán referred to St Patrick's heroic visit to the mountain..during which time he was confronted by demon birds. demon bowler n. Cricket an intimidatingly fast or exceptionally skilful bowler. Also used as an epithet of particular bowlers, esp. (originally) John Jackson (1833–1901) and (chiefly) Frederick Spofforth (1853–1926). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > bowler > types of bowler slow bowler1823 fast bowler1828 bias bowler1854 round-arm1858 demon bowler1861 left-hander1864 chucker1882 lobster1889 slow1895 leg-breaker1904 speed merchant1913 leg-spinner1920 spin bowler1920 off-spinner1924 quickie1934 tweaker1935 swerve-bowler1944 pace bowler1947 seam bowler1948 spinner1951 seamer1952 wrist-spinner1957 outswinger1958 swing bowler1958 quick1960 stock bowler1968 paceman1972 leggy1979 1861Demon bowler [see Compounds 2b]. 1878 Morning Post 29 May 7/5 Mr. E. F. Spofforth is called in Australia ‘The Demon Bowler’, and his performance on Monday appears to justify the title. 1899 County Gentleman 5 Aug. 969/1 The present dry season has been the despair of all demon bowlers, but batsmen have been delighted. 1931 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 19 Jan. 14/5 He and Francis, are a pair of demon bowlers, and by many judges, regarded as faster than Gregory at his best. 1996 Guardian 14 Mar. 8/1 The demon bowler, the canny golfer and the tennis pro all know how a spinning ball can swerve. 2012 Brisbane News (Nexis) 15 Aug. 10 I was a nervous batsman and lived in fear of a couple of Indian lads who were demon bowlers. demonkind n. [after mankind n.] demons collectively. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > collective or race of devilry1583 demonkind1706 orken1855 1706 R. Brocklesby Explic. Gospel-theism i. i. 9/2 The Demon-kind. Which intervening between the Gods and Men, [etc.]. 1857 Tait's Edinb. Mag. 24 378 The sentences, on all mankind and demonkind. 2002 Australian (Nexis) 25 June c6 One of the more powerful demon clans wants to..enslave humankind and demonkind. demonland n. [in quot. 1846 after Chinese Gŭifāng, a former (Shang Dynasty) place name ( < gŭi ghost, supernatural being, also used to denote some foreign peoples + fāng quarter, region)] a realm inhabited by evil beings or demons; an evil place; cf. fairyland n. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > realm of demonland1846 1846 W. H. Medhurst in tr. Shoo King 359 The inhabitants of the demon land [Chinese Gŭifāng] having become dissolute, Woo-ting attacked them. 1859 G. Wilson & A. Geikie Mem. E. Forbes i. 29 Grim or gentle visitants from Demonland or Fairyland. 1903 A. H. Lewis Black Lion Inn v. 56 Elves and gnomes and brownies and other malignant, small folk of Demonland. 2012 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 5 Feb. (Features section) 15 They [sc. the Anglo-Saxons] lived in the kind of lawless demonland that libertarians in the US would have us return to now, the rule of clans and hundreds of kings. demon lover n. (a) a lover in spirit form; a lover that is a demon; also figurative; (b) an exceptionally good lover. Frequently with allusion to quot. 1816, hence often implying a lover who is alluring or enchanting. ΚΠ 1816 S. T. Coleridge Kubla Khan in Christabel 56 A savage place! as holy and inchanted As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! 1886 Macmillan's Mag. Dec. 152/1 It was like the good-bye of a girl who had been borne away by a demon-lover. 1937 P. G. Wodehouse Lord Emsworth & Others v. 172 When a woman is to all intents and purposes waiting for a demon lover, it requires super-salesmanship to induce her to accept..an Ernest Plinlimmon. 1988 D. Allison Trash 111 Katy always said she wanted to be the Demon Lover, the one we desire even when we know it is not us she wants, but our souls. 1995 N. Hornby High Fidelity (1996) v. 65 I know, however, that Ian was something of a demon lover... I could hear it all. 2007 S. L. Plum Solitary Goose 7 When Yellow Woman is kidnapped by a demon-lover..her sisters call her back. demon possession n. = demonic possession n. at demonic adj. and n. Compounds. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > familiar or possessing spirit > possession by wood dreameOE demoniacal possession1601 possession1601 obsession1607 pythonism1654 demoniac possession1698 endiablementa1734 endemoniasm1751 demon possession1838 demonic possession1853 spirit possession1854 bedevilment1861 diabolepsy1886 1838 Foreign Q. Rev. 22 119 The Scripture doctrine demonstrates per se the fact of demon possession of a modified character. 1894 J. L. Nevius (title) Demon possession and allied themes. 1936 Discovery June 185 The condition of ‘demon possession’, which may be collective, affecting a whole village. 2006 D. Williams Start Here vii. 64 Because of the unscientific worldview in ancient time, what was really a psychotic disorder was seen as a demon possession. demon star n. [ < demon n. + star n.¹, after Arabic al-ġūl the demon (see Algol n.¹)] Algol, the star β Persei. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > constellation > binary star or system > [noun] > eclipsing Algola1393 demon star1868 1868 Fraser's Mag. Dec. 763/1 There is also the star Algol, or the Demon... But Eta Argûs exhibits far more remarkable changes than those presented by the Demon-star and the star Wonderful. 1971 C. Sergel You were born on Rotten Day i. 29 The demon star Algol is flashing disaster! 2001 P. Moore 2002 Yearbk. Astron. i. 106 Beta Lyrae..is a remarkable system. It is an eclipsing binary, but quite different from Algol, the Demon Star, in Perseus. Derivatives ˈdemonlike adv. and adj. ΚΠ 1690 W. Baxter tr. Plutarch Of Isis & Osiris in M. Morgan et al. tr. Plutarch Morals IV. 94 We also hear Homer often calling such as are extraordinary good, Godlike... But the Epithet derived from Dæmons, we find him to bestow upon the Good and Bad indifferently, as; Dæmon-like, Sir, make hast. 1707 G. Hickes Two Treat. Pref. p. xlvi A Sovereign Pontif, and Dæmon-like Mediator betwixt God, and Man. 1764 J. Grainger Sugar-cane iii. 91 From every quarter, in tumultuous bands, The Negroes rush; and, 'mid the crackling flames, Plunge, dæmon-like! 1822 E. Nathan Langreath III. 416 Demon-like horrors. 1894 Pop. Sci. Monthly Nov. 10 The wild spirits of the mountains swept demonlike across the valley of the glaciers. 1999 Legacy 16 135 Warner's heroine exhibits demonlike characteristics that can never quite be contained. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.adj.OE
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