What does eudaimon mean?
Eudaimon is a rare English word borrowed directly from ancient Greek, where εὐδαίμων meant 'happy', 'fortunate', or 'prosperous' — literally 'having a good daimon', or guardian spirit. In ordinary Greek usage it described someone whose life was visibly blessed by luck or divine favour. Greek philosophers, above all Aristotle, gave the term a deeper meaning: a eudaimon was not simply a lucky person but one who flourished by living virtuously and realising genuine human potential. In modern English the word survives almost entirely within philosophy and classics, usually appearing in discussions of Aristotelian ethics alongside the more common noun 'eudaimonia', which denotes the flourishing itself rather than the flourishing person. Because of this specialised register, eudaimon is unlikely to appear in casual conversation, but it offers a precise label for the person who embodies well-being — a useful distinction for anyone writing about happiness, ethics, or the good life.
A person who is happy, fortunate, or blessed with a favourable spirit.
"By every outward sign she was a eudaimon, untouched by misfortune."
This reflects the original, pre-philosophical Greek sense.
In Greek philosophy, a person who achieves true flourishing through virtue and the full exercise of human capacities.
"The eudaimon, for Aristotle, needs friends, goods, and good fortune as well as virtue."
Primarily encountered in scholarship on Aristotle and Hellenistic ethics.
The word is rare enough that no firmly established anglicized plural dominates; the Greek-style plural 'eudaimones' occasionally appears in scholarly writing, while 'eudaimons' follows normal English patterns.
"Aristotle held that only the virtuous could truly be counted among the eudaimons."
In ancient Greek, calling someone a eudaimon literally meant a 'good spirit' was watching over them — happiness was thought to be a kind of divine favour.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eudaimon
Eudaimon comes from ancient Greek εὐδαίμων, a compound of eu- ('good, well') and daimōn ('divine power, guardian spirit'), originally describing someone favoured by a benevolent spirit and hence happy or prosperous. It entered learned English usage through translations and studies of Greek philosophy. Its most prominent relative in English is eudaimonia, the abstract term for flourishing central to Aristotelian ethics, along with derivatives such as eudemonism.
How eudaimon is actually used
Rare in everyday English and confined largely to discussions of Greek philosophy and classical literature. It functions mainly as a technical term alongside its more familiar abstract counterpart 'eudaimonia'. The anglicized spelling 'eudemon' also occurs.
Easily confused with eudaimon
Eudaimonia is the abstract state of flourishing or well-being, whereas a eudaimon is the individual person who possesses that flourishing.