familiar

familiar
—familiarly, adv. —familiarness, n.
/feuh mil"yeuhr/, adj.
1. commonly or generally known or seen: a familiar sight.
2. well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant: to be familiar with a subject.
3. informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained: to write in a familiar style.
4. closely intimate or personal: a familiar friend; to be on familiar terms.
5. unduly intimate; too personal; taking liberties; presuming: The duchess disliked familiar servants.
6. domesticated; tame.
7. of or pertaining to a family or household.
n.
8. a familiar friend or associate.
9. Witchcraft and Demonology.
a. an animal, as a cat, that embodies a supernatural spirit and aids a witch in performing magic.
10. Rom. Cath. Ch.
a. an officer of the Inquisition, employed to arrest accused or suspected persons.
b. a person who belongs to the household of the pope or of a bishop, rendering domestic though not menial service.
[1300-50; ME < L familiaris of a household (see FAMILY, -AR1); r. ME famulier < MF < L, as above]
Syn. 4. FAMILIAR, CONFIDENTIAL, INTIMATE suggest a long association between persons. FAMILIAR means well-acquainted with another person: a familiar friend. CONFIDENTIAL suggests a sense of mutual trust that extends to the sharing of confidences and secrets: a confidential adviser. INTIMATE suggests close acquaintance or connection, often based on interest, sympathy, or affection: intimate and affectionate letters. 5. forward, bold.

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▪ demon
 in Western demonology, small animal or imp kept as a witch's attendant, given to her by the devil or inherited from another witch. The familiar was a low-ranking demon that assumed any animal shape, such as a toad, dog, insect, or black cat. Sometimes the familiar was described as a grotesque creature of fantasy, an amalgam of several creatures.

      The familiar was believed to subsist by sucking blood from a witch's fingers or other protuberances on her body such as a mole or a wart. During the European witchcraft trials of the 15th–17th century a suspected witch was searched for the “teats” by which she fed her familiar, and these, like the devil's brand marks, were considered sure signs of her guilt.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • familiär — familiär …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • familiar — adjetivo 1. De la familia: una reunión familiar. El ambiente familiar me relaja mucho. planificación* familiar. vida familiar. 2. Que es muy conocido: Su cara me resulta muy familiar. Su voz le era muy familiar. Aquel sonido familiar me… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • familiar — 1 Familiar, intimate, close, confidential, chummy, thick are comparable when meaning near to one another because of constant or frequent association, shared interests and activities, or common sympathies, or, when applied to words or acts,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Familiar — Fa*mil iar, a. [OE. familer, familier, F. familier, fr. L. familiaris, fr. familia family. See {Family}.] 1. Of or pertaining to a family; domestic. Familiar feuds. Byron. Syn: familial. [1913 Webster] 2. Closely acquainted or intimate, as a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Familiar — Семейство ОС Linux Последняя версия v0.8.4 20 августа 2006 Интерфейс OPIE или GPE Состояние Активное Веб сайт …   Википедия

  • familiar — FAMILIÁR, Ă, familiari, e, adj. 1. (Despre exprimare, limbaj, stil) Care este folosit în (sau apropiat de) vorbirea obişnuită; simplu, fără pretenţii. ♦ (Despre atitudini, comportări etc.; p. ext. despre oameni) Simplu, prietenos, apropiat; p.… …   Dicționar Român

  • familiar — [fə mil′yər] adj. [ME familier < OFr < L familiaris, of a household, domestic < familia, FAMILY] 1. Archaic having to do with a family 2. friendly, informal, or intimate [to be on familiar terms] 3. too friendly; unduly intimate or bold; …   English World dictionary

  • familiar — [adj1] common, well known accustomed, commonplace, conventional, customary, domestic, everyday, frequent, garden variety*, habitual, homespun, household, humble, informal, intimate, known, matter of fact, mundane, native, natural, old hat*,… …   New thesaurus

  • familiar — ► ADJECTIVE 1) well known through long or close association. 2) frequently encountered; common. 3) (familiar with) having a good knowledge of. 4) in close friendship. 5) inappropriately intimate or informal. ► NOUN …   English terms dictionary

  • Familiār — (Familiarist, lat.), Vertrauter, Hausfreund; auch Diener, namentlich in Klöstern und bei der Inquisition; familiär, vertraut, in der Weise eines zur Familie Gehörigen; Familiarität, familiäres Benehmen; sich familiarisieren, sich mit einer Person …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • familiar — I (customary) adjective accepted, accustomed, acknowledged, cliched, common, commonplace, consuetudinary, conventional, current, established, everyday, familiaris, frequent, general, generally seen, habitual, hackneyed, homely, household, humble …   Law dictionary

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