Word
daemon
Phoneticsdae·mon
US/ˈdeɪmən/
UK/dˈiːmən/
Definitions
01computing process
n. a computer program that runs in the background without you needing to interact with it.
n. a background process in a Unix-like operating system that performs system tasks without direct user intervention.
“The print daemon handles all the documents waiting to be printed.”
“The system administrator configured the HTTP daemon to restart automatically whenever the server experienced a memory spike.”
Technical
Usage
Often used as a suffix in technical names, such as 'httpd' or 'sshd', where the 'd' stands for daemon.
Synonyms
02mythology
n. a spirit or minor god in ancient Greek religion, often acting as a guide between gods and humans.
n. a minor deity or supernatural being in classical Greek mythology, occupying a middle ground between gods and mortals.
“In the old stories, a daemon might guide a hero toward his fate.”
“Socrates famously claimed to be guided by a personal daemon, a divine voice that warned him against making errors in judgment.”
Literary
03archaic spelling of demon
n. an old way of spelling 'demon', meaning an evil spirit.
n. an archaic variant spelling of 'demon', occasionally retained in modern literature to evoke a classical or non-Christian context.
“The old book described a daemon that lived in the dark forest.”
“The author chose the spelling 'daemon' to distinguish the ancient, morally ambiguous spirits from the purely evil demons of later folklore.”
Archaic · Literary
Antonyms
Etymology
A borrowing of Latin daemōn (“tutelary deity”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “dispenser, tutelary deity”).
A reference to Maxwell's demon. The putative derivation from "disk and execution monitor" is generally considered a backronym.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.