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daemonium

Etymology and origin of the Latin word daemonium

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
Manilius
Borrowed from
Ancient Greek δαιμόνιον
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (δαιμόνιον)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [dae̯ˈmɔ.ni.ũː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [deˈmɔː.ni.um][1]

Forms

daemonium n (genitive daemoniī or daemonī); second declension[1] It is also spelled daemonion.[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek δαιμόνιον (daimónion, “divine being”), from ⟨daímōn⟩ “deity, spirit”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short cite Manilius (1st century AD) and Tertullian, and the TLL cites Apuleius for the daemonium of Socrates.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It meant the indwelling spirit or genius of Socrates, a familiar, and a lesser divinity, as in Manilius.[2][4] In Christian Latin it meant an evil spirit, a demon, as in Tertullian.[4][6]

In Medieval Latin it meant a pagan god, an idol, and an evil spirit, the devil.[7] British Medieval Latin used it for a demon, possession, and the worship or invocation of demons.[8] Milton's Pandaemonium, the capital of Hell, was formed from Greek pan- “all” and Late Latin daemonium “evil spirit”.[3]

Timeline

  • 1st century AD – Manilius uses it of a lesser divinity.[4][9]
  • c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it of a demon.[4][9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A spirit, genius; a lesser divinity.[2][4]
  2. (Christian Latin) A demon, evil spirit.[4][7]

Usage notes

In astrology Daemonium was the fourth section of the twelvefold division of the heavens.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Daemonium.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/daemonium. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·