demons

Noun

demon (plural demons)

1. An evil being resident in or working for Hell; a devil.
   • So what does the Gospel of Judas really say? It says that Judas is a specific demon called the "Thirteenth." In certain Gnostic traditions, this is the given name of the king of demons - an entity known as Ialdabaoth who lives in the 13th realm above the earth. Judas is his human alter ego, his...
   • Whoever wrote the Gospel of Judas was a harsh critic of mainstream Christianity and its rituals. Because Judas is a demon working for Ialdabaoth, the author believed, when Judas sacrifices Jesus he does so to the demons, not to the supreme God. This mocks mainstream Christians' belief in the...2007 December 2, April D. DeConick, “What the Gospel of Judas really says”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Nov 2011, Essay
2. (historical) A false god or idol; a Satanic divinity.
3. (broadly, figuratively) A very wicked or malevolent person; also (in weakened sense) a mischievous person, especially a child.
4. A source (especially personified) of great evil or wickedness; a destructive feeling or character flaw.
   • The demon of stupidity haunts me whenever I open my mouth.
5. (in plural) A person's fears or anxieties.
   • After a short spell on an adult psychiatric ward, she decided to find her own way to deal with her demons.2013 January 21, The Guardian
6. A person's inner spirit or genius; a guiding or creative impulse.
   • Oh Anthony […] Thy Dæmon that thy spirit which keepes thee, is Noble, Couragious, high vnmatchable.c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...

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