familiar.

1. a spirit or creature believed to attend or assist a person practicing magic

2. Well known or recognizable through previous contact or experience.

3. Informally close or easy in manner, sometimes to a degree judged unduly intimate.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• witch's familiar
• summon a familiar
• animal familiar

On the page

The witch's familiar waited on the windowsill.

His familiar carried messages through the dream world.

The familiar vanished when the protective circle broke.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Fantasy. This noun sense differs from the adjective meaning well known. A familiar need not be a cat or a harmless pet. Plural: familiars. Adjective forms: more familiar, most familiar; different sense.