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familiar
| Babylon English | Download this dictionary |
familiar
adj.
ordinary, common; skilled; close, intimate; well-known; informal; tame; domestic (Archaic)
n.
good friend, acquaintance; member of the household of a pope or bishop; officer of the Inquisition; demon or evil spirit who comes when summoned
| English Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia | Download this dictionary |
Familiar spirit
In European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiar spirits (sometimes referred to simply as "familiars" or "animal guides") were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to the records of the time, they would appear in numerous guises, often as an animal, but also at times as a human or humanoid figure, and were described as "clearly defined, three-dimensional… forms, vivid with colour and animated with movement and sound" by those alleging to have come into contact with them, unlike later descriptions of ghosts with their "smoky, undefined form[s]".
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| WordNet 2.0 | Download this dictionary |
familiar
Noun
1. a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for support
(hypernym) servant, retainer
2. a person who is frequently in the company of another; "drinking companions"; "comrades in arms"
(synonym) companion, comrade, fellow, associate
(hypernym) friend
(hyponym) date, escort
3. a spirit (usually in animal form) that acts as an assistant to a witch or wizard
(synonym) familiar spirit
(hypernym) spirit, disembodied spirit
Adjective
1. well known or easily recognized; "a familiar figure"; "familiar songs"; "familiar guests"
(antonym) unfamiliar
(similar) acquainted(p), acquainted with(p), familiar with(p)
(see-also) known
(attribute) familiarity
2. within normal everyday experience; common and ordinary; not strange; "familiar ordinary objects found in every home"; "a familiar everyday scene"; "a familiar excuse"; "a day like any other filled with familiar duties and experiences"
(antonym) strange, unusual
(similar) common, usual
3. (usually followed by `with') well informed about or knowing thoroughly; "conversant with business trends"; "familiar with the complex machinery"; "he was familiar with those roads"
(synonym) conversant(p), familiar(p)
(similar) informed
4. having mutual interests or affections; of established friendship; "on familiar terms"; "pretending she is on an intimate footing with those she slanders"
(synonym) intimate
(similar) close
| Babylon German-English | Download this dictionary |
familiär
adv.
familiarly, in a friendly manner, informally, casually, without ceremony
adj.
domestic, pertaining to home, pertaining to family, familial, of a family, familiar, related; informal
| Babylon Spanish-English | Download this dictionary |
familiar
adj.
family, kin; familiar, informal; colloquial; relative
familiar
nm.
relative, kinsman; dependent
