daemon
noun
dae·mon
variant spelling of demon
1
a
: an evil spirit
angels and demons
b
: a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin
the demons of drug and alcohol addiction
confronting the demons of his childhood
2
usually daemon
: an attendant (see attendant entry 2 sense 1) power or spirit : genius
3
usually daemon mythology
: a supernatural being whose nature is intermediate between that of a god and that of a human being
4
: one that has exceptional enthusiasm, drive, or effectiveness
a demon for work
Doug, putting like a demon, had birdies on the third and sixth …—Fred Tupper
5
daemon
: a software program or process that runs in the background
A mailer daemon installed on an e-mail system can respond to a piece of incorrectly addressed e-mail by generating an automated message to the sender that the message was undeliverable.—J. D. Biersdorfer
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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