Lucifer

noun

Lu·​ci·​fer ˈlü-sə-fər 

1

—used as a name of the devil

2

: the planet Venus when appearing as the morning star

3

not capitalized : a friction match having as active substances antimony sulfide and potassium chlorate

Luciferian

ˌlü-sə-ˈfir-ē-ən 

adjective

Synonyms

• archfiend
• Beelzebub
• devil
• fiend
• Old Nick
• Satan
• serpent

Examples of Lucifer in a Sentence

Lucifer is depicted as a powerful but proud angel who leads a revolt against heaven.

Recent Examples on the Web

Deadline broke the news that Tom Ellis (Lucifer) joined Season 2 in the role of Baird College professor Oliver, who is married to Lucy’s teacher Marianne (Gabriella Pession). —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2024

Kelly and her sister have shared cool sister-bonding experiences In a 2019 segment for The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly, Alyssa and their mom Jeanne were treated to a private tour of their favorite show Lucifer, led by lead actor Tom Ellis. —Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 7 Aug. 2024

Spoon shared their latest studio album, Lucifer on the Sofa, in February 2022. —Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 5 Aug. 2024

The Lycan is based on a story Jane hatched with David James Kelly, with a script by Mike Carey (Lucifer), art by Diego Yapur, coloring by D.C. Alonso, and lettering by AndWorld Design. —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 26 July 2024

Following her Game of Thrones success, Christie has since jumped into two popular Netflix shows, playing Lucifer in The Sandman (2022) and Principal Weems in Tim Burton’s Addams Family series Wednesday (2022–present). —Danny Horn, EW.com, 14 July 2024

Sheppard has been married to wife Sarah Louise since 2015. 06 of 17 Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer No stranger to playing bad guys, Mark Pellegrino's role as Lucifer certainly gave the Winchesters a run for their money on Supernatural. —Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 14 July 2024

What was the decision behind the narrator named Lucifer that’s in a black hoodie talking throughout the doc? —Lexi Carson, Variety, 25 June 2024

Based on the comic American Jesus by writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Kingsman) and artist Peter Gross (Lucifer), The Chosen One follows 12-year-old Jodie (Bobby Luhnow), raised in Mexico by his mother Sarah (Dianna Agron). —Matt Kamen, WIRED, 22 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "the morning star, a fallen rebel archangel, the Devil," going back to Old English, borrowed from Latin Lūcifer "morning star," noun derivative of lūcifer "light-bringing, light-bearing," from lūc-, lūx "light" + -i- -i- + -fer -fer — more at light entry 1

Note: In patristic Latin Lūcifer was taken to be a name for the Devil of Christianity, based on the use of the word in the Vulgate rendering of Isaiah 14:12, where it translates Hebrew hêlēl, taken to mean "the shining one."

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

Lucifer

noun

Lu·​ci·​fer ˈlü-sə-fər 

: devil entry 1 sense 1

Etymology

Old English Lucifer "the morning star, a fallen angel, the Devil," from Latin Lucifer "the morning star, bearer of light," derived from luc-, lux "light" and -fer "bearing"

Word Origin

What we sometimes call "the morning star" is really the planet Venus. The Romans called it Lucifer, meaning "bearer of light," because it appeared in the sky just before sunrise. So when, in the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah says, in describing the downfall of the king of Babylon, "How are you fallen from heaven, O Morning Star, son of dawn," the "Morning Star" became Lucifer in the Latin translation. Early Christians thought that Isaiah was also referring to the devil, who had likewise "fallen from heaven." Thus the word Lucifer came to be applied to the devil.