Demoniac
/dɪˈmoʊ.ni.æk/noun
Possessed by or resembling a demon; frenzied or wildly evil.
Did you know?The word comes through Latin from Greek daimonikos, tied to daimon, a spirit-being that was not originally always evil; the darkness came later as Christian language rebranded the old spirits.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
daimōn
“a spirit, divine power, or lesser deity”
Ancient Greek
Greek
daimonikos
“pertaining to a spirit or demon”
Late Latin
Latin
daemoniacus
“demonic, possessed by a demon”
Old French
Old French
demoniac
“possessed by a demon; demonic”
Middle English
English
demoniac
“possessed by a demon; frenzied or fiendish”
Modern English
English
demoniac
“possessed by or resembling a demon; frenzied or wildly evil”