incubus
/ˈɪŋ.kjʊ.bəs/ noun
Forms incubi incubuses
- noun (mediaeval folklore) An evil spirit supposed to oppress people while asleep, especially to have sex with women as they sleep.
- noun A feeling of oppression during sleep, sleep paralysis; night terrors, a nightmare.
- noun (by extension) Any oppressive thing or person; a burden.
- noun (entomology) One of various of parasitic insects, especially subfamily Aphidiinae.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Late Latin incubus, from Latin incubō (“nightmare, one who lies down on the sleeper”), from incubō (“to lie upon, to hatch”, from in- (“on”) + cubō (“to lie down”)).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A demon; a fiend; a lascivious spirit, supposed to have sexual intercourse with women by night. Tylor.
- noun The nightmare. See Nightmare.
Etymology [L., the nightmare. Cf. Incubate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “incubus”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details