lucifer Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
    Devil; Prince of Darkness; the Tempter; Beelzebub; Satan; Old Nick.
  2. noun a planet (usually Venus) seen just before sunrise in the eastern sky
    daystar; Phosphorus; morning star.
  3. noun lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
    friction match; match.
    • he always carries matches to light his pipe
    • as long you've a lucifer to light your fag

WordNet

Lu"ci*fer noun
Etymology
L., bringing light, n., the morning star, fr. lux, lucis, light + ferre to bring.
Definitions
  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 heaven, 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 wood tipped with a combustible substance, and ignited by friction; -- called also lucifer match, and locofoco. See Locofoco.
  4. (Zoöl.) A genus of free-swimming macruran Crustacea, having a slender body and long appendages.

Webster 1913