tiefling

English

Etymology

From German tief (“deep, low”) +‎ -ling; coined for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtiːflɪŋ/

Noun

tiefling (plural tieflings)

1. (fantasy, roleplaying games) A member of a race of beings having a combination of human and demonic/devilish ancestry, found especially in Dungeons & Dragons.
   • 2013, David M. Ewalt, “D&D Next”, in Of dice and men : the story of Dungeons & Dragons and the people who play it‎^[1], Scribner, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 210:

     That left me with either a human female paladin or a tiefling warlord.

   • 2015 April 9, Barbara T. Cerny, The Tiefling: Angel Kissed, Devil Touched‎^[2], Assent Publishing, →ISBN:

     I did not choose to be a monster—a shell of a man—half-human, half-fiend. I am a tiefling. I am what I am.

   • 2018, “Planar Scion”, in Starfinder: Alien Archive 2‎^[3], Paizo, →ISBN, page 210:

     The Radiant Cathedral, on the other hand, trains aasimars to become beacons of the Sarenite faith, and also guides tieflings to a brighter future than their heritage suggests.

Hyponyms

• demon, devil

Related terms

• deep

Anagrams

• fileting