English
daimon
Daimon comes from Ancient Greek δαίμων ‘the one who divides, dispenser, tutelary deity’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₂y-1‘to share, to divide’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδαίομαι1daíomai‘to divide’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδαίμων2daímōn‘the one who divides, dispenser, tutelary deity’
- Englishearliest quotation 1890daimon2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δαίμων
- 2 Wiktionary, English daimon
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1890, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Over the Teacups: “All at once, my daimōn—that other Me over whom…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₂y-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δαίμων‘to share, to divide’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδαίομαιWiktionary, Ancient Greek δαίμωνdaíomai‘to divide’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδαίμωνWiktionary, English daimondaímōn‘the one who divides, dispenser, tutelary deity’
- Englishearliest quotation 1890daimonWiktionary, English daimon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1890, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Over the Teacups: “All at once, my daimōn—that other Me over whom…”
The story
A modern romanization of Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “the one who divides, dispenser, tutelary deity”), intended to distinguish its ancient Greek sense from later conceptions of demons.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- ‘to share, to divide’
time, till, tide, til, tease, tass, 22 more
through Ancient Greek δαίομαι ‘to divide’
through Ancient Greek δαίμων ‘the one who divides, dispenser, tutelary deity’
Today it means
noun Synonym of demon, particularly as
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “daimon”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek δαίμων. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- / daimon