Krampus

noun

Kram·​pus ˈkram-pəs 

plural Krampuses

: a half-goat, half-demon monster of central European legend that punishes misbehaving children at Christmastime

Throughout Austria, Krampus, the beastly counterpart to St. Nicholas, frightens naughty children.

—Rachel Hartigan Shea

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from regional German (Bavaria, Austria), of uncertain origin

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above