noonday devil

English

Noun

noonday devil (plural noonday devils)

1. A demon, thought to be active at the noon hour, that inclines its victims (usually monastics) to restlessness, excitability and inattention to their duties. Used as a synonym for acedia (Greek ακηδία (akidía)).

References

• Talbot, Alice-Mary (1991) “Akedia”, in Kazhdan, Alexander, editor, The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, volume I, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, pages 44–45