Etymology and origin of the Latin word daemonicus
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- c. 160–220 Tertullian More words from the 2nd century
- Borrowed from
- Ancient Greek δαιμονικός
- Ultimate origin
- Ancient Greek δαιμονικός
Etymology tree
Forms
daemonicus (feminine daemonica, neuter daemonicum); first/second-declension adjective[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Ancient Greek δαιμονικός (daimonikós),[1][2][3][4] an adjective of δαίμων (daímōn, “godlike power, god”).[5][6]
Earliest recorded meaning
Tertullian has it in De spectaculis, where he calls Erichthonius a demonic portent, indeed the devil himself.[3]
Semantic evolution
It is a word of Christian Latin, “belonging to evil spirits, demonic, devilish”.[2][3] Lactantius speaks of demonic power and frauds, Prudentius of demonic altars, and Augustine of a city bound by demonic rites and of men skilled in demonic arts.[3] Manuscripts often have the variant daemoniacus.[3]
In Medieval Latin it also meant “possessed by a demon”, and was used as a noun for a demoniac.[7] English took it as demonic in the 1660s.[8]
Timeline
- c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian calls Erichthonius a demonic portent.[3][5]
- c. 250–317 AD – Lactantius writes of demonic power and frauds.[3][2][5]
- 354–430 AD – Augustine writes of demonic rites and arts.[3][5]
- 1660s – Borrowed into English as demonic.[8]
Meanings
Adjective
- (Ecclesiastical Latin) Of demons, demonic, devilish.[2][3][7][4]
- (Medieval Latin) Possessed by a demon.[7]
Noun
- (Medieval Latin) A demoniac.[7]
Related words
Usage notes
The TLL notes that manuscripts often give daemoniacus for it,[3] and Niermeyer treats the two forms together.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
- ^ a b c d e Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Related etymologies
- patriarcha · also from Greek
- microscopium · also from Greek
- arteria · also from Greek
- anachoreta · also from Greek
- alleluia · also from Greek
- palladium · also from Greek
- colon · also from Greek
- peripheria · also from Greek
Cite this entry
“Daemonicus.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/daemonicus. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·