Search for: spirit !evil
6681 Etymology dictionary, p. devilry (n.).2
c. 1400, develrie, "a demon or evil spirit," from devil + -ry. From 1630s as "devilish character or conduct." Deviltry (1788) is a corruption of it. Earlier in the sense "devilish character or conduct" was devilhood (c. 1300).
6682 Etymology dictionary, p. devil-worship (n.).2
"the worship of evil spirits or Satan by incantations intended to propitiate them," 1719; see devil + worship (n.). Related: Devil-worshipping; devil-worshipper .
6683 Etymology dictionary, p. elf (n.).2
… alp "evil spirit, goblin, incubus"), origin unknown; according to Watkins, possibly from PIE *albho- "white." Used figuratively for "mischievous person" from 1550s …
6684 Etymology dictionary, p. exorcism (n.).2
… of evil spirits," from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkismos "administration of an oath," in Ecclesiastical Greek, "exorcism," from exorkizein "exorcise …
6685 Etymology dictionary, p. exorcise (v.).2
… an evil spirit; bind by oath" (see exorcism ). Sense of "call up evil spirits to drive them out" became dominant 16c. Formerly also exorcize; a rare case where -ise trumps …
6686 Etymology dictionary, p. exorcist (n.).2
"one who drives out evil spirits," late 14c., from Late Latin exorcista, from Ecclesiastical Greek exorkistes "an exorcist," from exorkizein (see exorcism ).
6687 Etymology dictionary, p. false (adj.).4
… by evil spirits," is attested from late 13c. The sporting contest false start is attested by 1850.
6688 Etymology dictionary, p. familiar (adj.).4
… "demon, evil spirit that answers one's call" is from 1580s ( familiar spirit is attested from 1560s); earlier as a noun it meant "a familiar friend" (late 14c.). The Latin …
6689 Etymology dictionary, p. ghoul (n.).2
1786, goul, in the English translation of William Beckford's Orientalist novel "Vathek" (which was written in French), from Arabic ghul, an evil spirit that robs graves and feeds on corpses, from ghala "he seized."
6690 Etymology dictionary, p. insufflation (n.).2
… expel evil spirits, from Late Latin insufflationem (nominative insufflatio ) "a blowing into," noun of action from past-participle stem of insufflare, from …
6691 Etymology dictionary, p. invocation (n.).2
… of evil spirits," from Old French invocacion "appeal, invocation" (12c.), from Latin invocationem (nominative invocatio ), noun of action from past participle stem …
6692 Etymology dictionary, p. larva (n.).2
… , disembodied spirit" (earlier as larve, c. 1600), from Latin larva (plural larvae ), earlier larua "ghost, evil spirit, demon," also "mask," a word from Roman mythology, of …
6693 Etymology dictionary, p. lemur (n.).2
… lemurum ) "evil spirits of the dead" in Roman mythology, a word of uncertain origin. De Vaan finds it likely that it and Greek lamia are borrowings of a non-Indo …
6694 Etymology dictionary, p. Lemuria.3
Earlier Lemuria was the name of the Roman feast of the Lemures, evil spirits of the dead in Roman mythology. The head of each household ritually exorcised them every 9th, 11th, and 13th of May. Related: Lemurian
6695 Etymology dictionary, p. Lilith.2
female evil spirit, in medieval Hebrew folklore the first wife of Adam, from Hebrew Lilith, from Akkadian Lilitu, which is connected by folk etymology with Hebrew laylah "night."
6696 Etymology dictionary, p. Mephistopheles.2
… the evil spirit to whom Faust sold his soul in the old legend, from German (1587), a word of unknown origin. The older, Greek-like form is apparently a folk-etymology …
6697 Etymology dictionary, p. mezuzah (n.).2
… and evil spirits, 1640s, from Hebrew (Semitic), literally "doorpost."
6698 Etymology dictionary, p. nightmare (n.).2
… , "an evil female spirit afflicting men (or horses) in their sleep with a feeling of suffocation," compounded from night + mare (n.3) "goblin that causes nightmares …
6699 Etymology dictionary, p. obsess (v.).3
… to evil spirits, "to haunt," from 1530s. The psychological sense of "to haunt as a fixed idea" developed gradually from 1880s and emerged 20c. The 1895 Century Dictionary …
6700 Etymology dictionary, p. obsession (n.).2
… an evil spirit" (like possession but without the spirit actually inhabiting the body). Transferred sense of "action of anything which engrosses the mind" is …