Meaning & use
familiar spirit
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A spirit, often appearing as an animal, that is said to serve and help a witch or magician.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a familiar spirit' or 'familiar spirits' when talking about more than one.
Patterns
- a familiar spirit of someone
- someone's familiar spirit
- a familiar spirit in the form of an animal
In the old story, the witch's familiar spirit took the shape of a black cat.
People once claimed that a familiar spirit would carry out small tasks for its master.
The villagers accused her of keeping a familiar spirit in her house.
nouncountablefigurative
In fantasy games and novels, a magical companion creature that aids a character.
Grammar: Countable and very common in games; the shorter word 'familiar' is used far more often here.
Patterns
- summon a familiar spirit
- a player's familiar spirit
In the game, a wizard can summon a familiar spirit to scout ahead.
Her familiar spirit warns her whenever danger is near.
Word forms
| plural | familiar spirits |
|---|
Common combinations
- a familiar spirit in the form of an animal
- Legend says he kept a familiar spirit in the form of a toad.
- summon a familiar spirit
- The sorcerer tried to summon a familiar spirit at midnight.
- a witch's familiar spirit
- A witch's familiar spirit was thought to do her bidding.
- be accused of keeping a familiar spirit
- She was accused of keeping a familiar spirit and put on trial.
Synonyms and how they differ
- familiar
- The short form is now the usual word, especially in fantasy writing; 'familiar spirit' sounds older and more formal.
- demon
- A demon is a hostile spirit; a familiar spirit is usually described as a helper, not an enemy.
- spirit guide
- A spirit guide is a helpful spirit in some religious or New Age beliefs, without the link to witchcraft.
Word family
- familiar noun
- A spirit or animal that serves a witch; also an adjective meaning well known.
- familiarity noun
- The state of knowing something well.
Commonly confused: familiar spirit or familiar?
familiar spirit vs familiar
As an adjective, 'familiar' means well known or easy to recognize; as a noun it means the spirit itself, which is why the short form is so common.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'familiar spirit' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Familiar spirit' is a countable noun for a supernatural helper, so it fits 'a familiar spirit helped the sorcerer.' The other options wrongly use the phrase as an adjective or verb, which is the job of the adjective 'familiar' or the verb 'familiarize.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “familiar spirit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.