Search Result for "incubuses": 

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Incubus \In"cu*bus\, n.; pl. E. Incubuses, L. Incubi. [L., the nightmare. Cf. Incubate.] [1913 Webster] 1. A demon; a fiend; a lascivious spirit, supposed to have sexual intercourse with women by night. --Tylor. [1913 Webster] The devils who appeared in the female form were generally called succubi; those who appeared like men incubi, though this distinction was not always preserved. --Lecky. [1913 Webster] 2. (Med.) The nightmare. See Nightmare. [1913 Webster] Such as are troubled with incubus, or witch-ridden, as we call it. --Burton. [1913 Webster] 3. Any oppressive encumbrance or burden; anything that prevents the free use of the faculties. [1913 Webster] Debt and usury is the incubus which weighs most heavily on the agricultural resources of Turkey. --J. L. Farley. [1913 Webster]