noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American, UK:/ˈsʌk.jʊ.bəs/
General-American, UK:/ˈsʌk.jə.bəs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: succubous
1
noun
Meaning 1
A female demon which comes to men, especially monks, in their dreams to seduce them and have sexual intercourse, drawing energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhaustion or death.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: mediaeval folklore
Examples
1977 Italo Calvino, The Castle of Crossed Destinies, Part 2, Chapter 5, 1969. Translated from Italian by William Weaver. When the Sabbath is caught by the first ray of the rising sun, all the witches and the vampires, incubi and succubi, take flight, some transforming themselves into noctules, some into other bats, some into still other species of Chiroptera.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A strumpet, whore or prostitute.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Alteration in Middle English (based on incubus m) of Late Latin succuba (“strumpet, especially a mythological fiend in female form who has intercourse with men in their sleep”), from Latin succubo (“to lie under”), from sub- (“under”) + cubare (“to lie down”).
Across languages
Translations
29 source translations are retained for this English entry.
