daemon

daemon

August 7, 2025, 10:56 PM

See also: Dämon and dæmon

English

Etymology 1

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Daemon (classical mythology)

A borrowing of Latin daemōn (“tutelary deity”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “dispenser, tutelary deity”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdiː.mən/
• Rhymes: -iːmən
• Hyphenation: dae‧mon

Noun

daemon (plural daemons or daemones)

1. (mythology) A minor deity or divinity.

• A muse, a personified source of inspiration, especially one that also causes anguish.

2. An idea depicted as an entity.
3. (uncommon) Alternative form of demon.

Derived terms

• daemonism
• daemonology

Related terms

• agathodaemon
• cacodaemon/cacodemon; cacodaemonic/cacodemonic; cacodaemoniacal
• daemonic
• daimon
• eudaemon

See also

• genius
• muse
• tutelary deity

Etymology 2

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Daemon (computing)

A reference to Maxwell's demon. The putative derivation from "d**isk and e**xecution *mon**itor*" is generally considered a backronym.

Alternative forms

• dæmon, daimon, demon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdiːmən/, /ˈdeɪmən/
• Rhymes: -iːmən, -eɪmən
• Hyphenation: dae‧mon

Noun

daemon (plural daemons)

1. (computing, Unix) A process (a running program) that does not have a controlling terminal.

Usage notes

• (Unix): Often a daemon will run on a server.

Translations

±computing: process with no controlling terminal

See also

• background process

Anagrams

• Modane, Modena, moaned, modena, nomade

Japanese

Romanization

daemon

1. Rōmaji transcription of ダエモン

Latin

Alternative forms

• demon (Medieval Latin)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈdae̯.moːn]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈd̪ɛː.mon]

Noun

daemōn m (genitive daemonis); third declension

1. a genius loci, a lar, the protective spirit or godling of a place or household
2. (astrology) the 11th of the 12 signs of the zodiac
3. (Ecclesiastical Latin) a demon