kanaiman.
/kəˈnʌɪmə/, U.S. /kəˈnaɪmə/, Caribbean English /kaˈnaima/, /kʌˈnaimʌ/ Among Arawak and Carib peoples of Guyana and Venezuela: a spirit, or person possessed by a spirit, who causes sickness or death as an act of vengeance.
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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
1825 W. Hilhouse Indian Notices ii. 23 By the rapidity of their marches, and nightly enterprises, which they [sc. the Accaways, i.e. the Akawaio] call Kanaima, they conceal the weakness of their numbers, and carry terror before them.
1831 J. Hancock Observ. Origin & Treatm. Cholera 41 They remove to a distant spot to avoid the Yawahoo or Kanaima (the evil spirit, or night murderers).
1951 E. Mittelholzer Shadows move among Them i. xiii. 115 A kanaima bit me... He's a terrible Indian man who stalks through the jungle looking for people to attack.
1997 P. Melville Ventriloquist's Tale (1998) ii. 266 When they began to suspect her of being a kanaima, they were appalled.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1825