Lucifer

noun

Lu·​ci·​fer ˈlü-sə-fər How to pronounce Lucifer (audio)
Synonyms of Lucifernext
1
—used as a name of the devil
2
: the planet Venus when appearing as the morning star
3
not capitalized : a friction match having as active substances antimony sulfide and potassium chlorate
Luciferian
ˌlü-sə-ˈfir-ē-ən How to pronounce Lucifer (audio)
adjective

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of Lucifer in a Sentence

Lucifer is depicted as a powerful but proud angel who leads a revolt against heaven.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 10-episode Exiles comes from a new creative team, with Jason Ning (Lucifer) as showrunner. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 May 2025 Production on the spinoff is set to begin this summer in Los Angeles, with Jason Ning (Lucifer, Mrs. Davis) tapped to serve as showrunner. — Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "the morning star, a fallen rebel archangel, the Devil," going back to Old English, borrowed from Latin Lūcifer "morning star," noun derivative of lūcifer "light-bringing, light-bearing," from lūc-, lūx "light" + -i- -i- + -fer -fer — more at light entry 1

Note: In patristic Latin Lūcifer was taken to be a name for the Devil of Christianity, based on the use of the word in the Vulgate rendering of Isaiah 14:12, where it translates Hebrew hêlēl, taken to mean "the shining one."

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Lucifer was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

lucifee
Lucifer
luciferase
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lucifer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Lucifer. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

Etymology

Old English Lucifer "the morning star, a fallen angel, the Devil," from Latin Lucifer "the morning star, bearer of light," derived from luc-, lux "light" and -fer "bearing"

Word Origin
What we sometimes call "the morning star" is really the planet Venus. The Romans called it Lucifer, meaning "bearer of light," because it appeared in the sky just before sunrise. So when, in the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah says, in describing the downfall of the king of Babylon, "How are you fallen from heaven, O Morning Star, son of dawn," the "Morning Star" became Lucifer in the Latin translation. Early Christians thought that Isaiah was also referring to the devil, who had likewise "fallen from heaven." Thus the word Lucifer came to be applied to the devil.

More from Merriam-Webster on Lucifer

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Lucifer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

8 Words for the Wordy and Talking Too Much

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

More Words with Remarkable Origins
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

8 Words for the Wordy and Talking Too Much

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All