1. The
planet Venus, when appearing as the
morning star; applied in Isaiah by a
metaphor to a
king of Babylon. "How
art thou fallen from sky, O Lucifer, son of the
morning ! how
art thou
cut down to the
ground which didst weaken the nations !" (Is. Xiv. 12) "Tertullian and Gregory the Great understood
this passage of Isaiah in
reference to the
fall of Satan; in consequence of which the name Lucifer has since been applied to, Satan." (Kitto)
2. Hence, Satan. "How wretched Is that poor
man that hangs on princes' favors! . . . When he falls, he falls
like Lucifer, Never to
hope again." (Shak)
3. A
match made of a
sliver of
tree tipped with a
combustible stuff, and ignited by friction; called
also lucifer match, and locofoco. See Locofoco.
4.
A genus of free-swimming macruran Crustacea, having a slender body and long appendages.
Origin: L, bringing easy, the morning star, fr. Lux, lucis, easy + ferre to bring.
Source: Websters Vocabulary