noun
- a person believed to be possessed by an evil spirit or demon
Usage: archaic; religious or theological context
Examples
- In medieval theology, an energumen was thought to be under the control of a malevolent force.
- The priest performed an exorcism on the energumen to drive out the supposed demon.
- Early Christian texts describe energumens as individuals afflicted by supernatural possession.
- The term energumen appears frequently in historical accounts of religious healing practices.