# incubus

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɪŋ.kjʊ.bəs/ · frequency rank #51,770

## Definitions
1. An evil spirit supposed to oppress people while asleep, especially to have sex with women as they sleep.
2. A feeling of oppression during sleep, sleep paralysis; night terrors, a nightmare.
3. Any oppressive thing or person; a burden.
4. One of various of parasitic insects, especially subfamily Aphidiinae.

## Etymology
From Late Latin incubus, from Latin incubō (“nightmare, one who lies down on the sleeper”), from incubō (“to lie upon, to hatch”, from in- (“on”) + cubō (“to lie down”)).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/incubus