Lucifer

noun

Lu·​ci·​fer ˈlü-sə-fər 

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 

adjective

Synonyms

• Satan
• devil

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

It’s been three years since Spoon’s last album, Lucifer on the Sofa. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 26 Aug. 2025

Griffin’s other credits include The Bad Guy, Jersey Boys, Lucifer and S.W.A.T., to name just a few. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2025

The first movie was led by Jay Hernandez (Magnum P.I.) while Part II was headlined by Lauren German (Lucifer), Bijou Phillips (Raising Hope) and Heather Matarazzo (Now and Again). —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 31 July 2025

Once freed, the dream tries to repair his life by regaining his magical tools, which takes him to hell to visit Lucifer, played by Gwendoline Christie and in search of a deranged human, played by David Thewlis. —Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 24 July 2025

The first season finale implied a major upcoming conflict between Lucifer and Morpheus, but when the second season begins, Lucifer has suddenly abandoned that plan. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 July 2025

Reeves has since appeared on shows including Once Upon a Time, Lucifer and The Punisher. —Breanne L. Heldman, People.com, 18 July 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

Kids Definition

Lucifer

noun

Lu·​ci·​fer ˈlü-sə-fər 

: devil entry 1 sense 1

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.