satan

/ˈseɪ.tən//ˈseɪ.tn̩/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

satan is the alternative form of Satan (especially in the sense "a demon follower of Satan.

satan is the obsolete form of satin.

Meaning of satin

Noun

satin (countable and uncountable, plural satins)

A cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull back. (The same weaving technique applied to cotton produces cloth termed sateen).
- Ibn Batuta informs us that a rich silk texture made here was called Zaitûniya; and there can be little doubt that this is the real origin of our word Satin,—Zettani in mediæval Italian, Aceytuni in Spanish.1878, Henry Yule, "Chinchew" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. V, p. 673
(obsolete, slang) Gin (the drink).
- 'This poor gal was robbed, barely left a stitch, that and the drink... mind, I likes a drop of satin – wot you'd call gin – myself. I'll say nothing against it. She ended thrown out of an upstairs winder.'2014, Richard Gordon, The Private Life of Jack the Ripper, page 13

See all 4 meanings of satin

Proper noun capitalized: Satan

Satan

The supreme evil spirit in the Abrahamic religions, who tempts humanity into sin; the Devil; (Theistic Satanism) the same figure, regarded as a deity to be revered and worshipped.
- Many Satanists reject the notion that Satan is bad.
- And he shewed me Ioshua the high Priest, standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. / And the Lord said vnto Satan; The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, euen the Lord that hath chosen Ierusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Zechariah 3:1–2
(countable) A person or animal regarded as particularly malignant, detestable, or evil; used as an epithet or as a name for an animal.
- 'Cause I finished with him, so I just felt kind of relieved and empowered afterwards, you know? He was tryin' to dilute my squash, and I was like, "Not today, Satan."2023, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia, directed by Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane, spoken by Yas (Vivian Oparah)

Noun capitalized: Satan

Satan (plural Satans)

(countable) A demon follower of Satan (principal evil spirit); a fallen angel.
- This literature refers to a major figurehead of evil called “Satan,” the leader of a group of angels also referred to as “Satans.” These Satans accuse people and lead them astray.1992, Clinton E. Arnold, Powers of Darkness: Principalities & Powers in Paul′s Letters, page 67
- They followed what the Satans recited over Solomon′s Kingdom. Solomon did not disbelieve but Satans disbelieved, teaching men magic, and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Hārūt and Mārūt.2007, Abdullah Yusuf Ali (translator), M. A. H. Eliyasee (Roman script transliteration), Osman Taha (Arabic script), The Qur′an, II, 102, page 15
Synonyms:

Azazel, devil, demon, imp
Anything that causes destruction or is viewed as evil.
- The most of these, such as various kinds of grasshoppers, leaf hoppers, butterflies, etc., are not peculiar to the clovers, while others do but little damage and need not be mentioned here. In a contest with any of them, the farmer is to a great extent powerless on account of their wide...1898, Henry Wallace, Clover Farming, Des Moines, Iowa: Wallace Publishing Company, page 136
- Hrothgar and his eldermen lived happily in Hereot Hall until the day that Grendel, a living fiend out of Hell, a Satan who ruled over swamps and marshes, came stalking toward them.1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 21

Synonyms of satan

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

god
Allah

Forms of satan

Noun
plural	satans
plural	Satans
Proper noun
alternative form	satan
alternative form	Satanas
alternative form	Sathanas
alternative form (obsolete)	Sathan

Origin of satan

See Satan: from Latin Satān, from Ancient Greek Σατάν (Satán), from Hebrew שָׂטָן (Sātān, “adversary, accuser”).

From Middle English Sathan, Satan, from Old English Satan, from Latin Satan, from Ancient Greek Σατάν (Satán), from Hebrew שָׂטָן (satán, “adversary, accuser”). Compare Arabic شَيْطَان (šayṭān, “satan, devil”). Doublet of shaitan and shetani.

Words formed from satan

Phrases with satan

Words that rhyme with satan

Questions about satan

What does satan mean?: Satan means the supreme evil spirit in the Abrahamic religions, who tempts humanity into sin; the Devil; (Theistic Satanism) the same figure, regarded as a deity to be revered and worshipped.
What is satan the alternative form of Satan (especially in the sense "a demon follower of?: Satan is the alternative form of Satan (especially in the sense "a demon follower of Satan.
What part of speech is satan?: Satan can be a proper noun or a noun.
How do you pronounce satan?: Satan is pronounced /ˈseɪ.tən/ (UK).

Words near satan in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: satan (page history and authors); Satan (page history and authors); satin (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Neøn-satan.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Satan.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Simplificationalizer-Satan.wav.

Cite this entry: “satan.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/satan. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.