Incubus /(?)/

In·cu·bus

Incubus

n.

pl. Incubuses, Incubi

  1. A demon; a fiend; a lascivious spirit, supposed to have sexual intercourse with women by night.
    The devils who appeared in the female form were generally called succubi; those who appeared like men incubi, though this distinction was not always preserved.
    — Lecky.
  2. The nightmare. See Nightmare. (Med.)
    Such as are troubled with incubus, or witch-ridden, as we call it.
    — Burton.
  3. Any oppressive encumbrance or burden; anything that prevents the free use of the faculties.
    Debt and usury is the incubus which weighs most heavily on the agricultural resources of Turkey.