demon
noun
[ ˈdiːmən ]
• an evil spirit or devil, especially one thought to possess a person or act as a tormentor in hell.
• "he was possessed by an evil demon"
Similar:
devil,
fiend,
evil spirit,
fallen angel,
cacodemon,
incubus,
succubus,
hellhound,
afreet,
rakshasa,
• a forceful or skilful performer of a specified activity.
• "a friend of mine is a demon cook"
Similar:
genius,
wizard,
expert,
master,
adept,
virtuoso,
maestro,
past master,
marvel,
prodigy,
star,
wunderkind,
hotshot,
wiz,
whizz,
whizz-kid,
buff,
ninja,
old hand,
pro,
ace,
something else,
something to shout about,
something to write home about,
dab hand,
maven,
crackerjack,
proficient,
• another term for daemon1 (sense 1).
Origin:
Middle English: from medieval Latin, from Latin daemon, from Greek daimōn ‘deity, genius’; in demon1 (sense 1) also from Latin daemonium ‘lesser or evil spirit’, from Greek daemonion, diminutive of daimōn .
demon
noun
• variant spelling of daemon2.
demon
noun
• a police officer.
Origin:
late 19th century: perhaps from Van Diemen 's Land, an early name for Tasmania, or based on dee (slang term for detective ) + man.
daemon
noun
• a background process that handles requests for services such as print spooling and file transfers, and is dormant when not required.
Origin:
1970s: perhaps from d(isk) a(nd) e(xecution) mon(itor) or from de(vice) mon(itor), or a transferred use of demon1.