Where does “daemon” come from?
daemon (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek δαίμων, from Ancient Greek δαίω, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂y-, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- — to share, divide.
Ancestry of “daemon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | δαίμων | god, goddess; departed soul; demon, evil spirit |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | δαίω | to light up, to kindle, to set on fire; to burn... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂y- | to share, divide |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |