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noun

daemon

DEE-muhn
noun
1
In computing, a background program that runs without direct user control, handling ongoing tasks.
"The print daemon automatically manages jobs sent to the printer."
"A daemon runs continuously in the background of a server, waiting for requests."

How to Use Daemon

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA background computer process that keeps running and responding to events without a user actively watching it.

Common mistake

Pronounced the same as "demon," but spelled differently and used only in a technical/computing sense.

Easily confused with

Word Forms

daemons plural

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Fill the Gap

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The print _____ automatically manages jobs sent to the printer.

Etymology

Named after Maxwell's demon, a thought experiment in physics — the popular idea that it stands for "disk and execution monitor" is a later, invented backronym.

Rhymes for daemon

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial