In·cu·bus n.; pl. E. Incubuses L. Incubi
  1. A demon; a fiend; a lascivious spirit, supposed to have sexual intercourse with women by night.
     The devils who appeared in the female form were generally called succubi; those who appeared like men incubi, though this distinction was not always preserved.   --Lecky.
  2. Med. The nightmare. See Nightmare.
     Such as are troubled with incubus, or witch-ridden, as we call it.   --Burton.
  3. Any oppressive encumbrance or burden; anything that prevents the free use of the faculties.
     Debt and usury is the incubus which weighs most heavily on the agricultural resources of Turkey.   --J. L. Farley.
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