Meanings
nounmormo (plural mormos)
plural mormos
- obsoleteA bugbear or invented monster.
the mormos and bugbears of a frighted rabble
1727, William Warburton, Critical and Philosophical Enquiry into the Causes of Miracles1 more example
Thus the Atheists, who derive the origin of religion from fear, first put an affrighful vizard upon the Deity, and then conclude it to be but a mormo or bugbear, the creature of fear and fancy.
1678, Ralph Cudworth, The True Intellectual System of the Universe
Origin
- Ancient GreekΜορμώ“a hideous she-monster, a bugbear”
- Englishmormo
From Ancient Greek Μορμώ (Mormṓ, “a hideous she-monster, a bugbear”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
mormo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mormo
MLA
“mormo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mormo. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mormo,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mormo.
Source: mormo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.