rāksasa, also羅叉娑; from raksas, harm, injuring. Malignant spirits, demons; sometimes considered inferior to yaksas, sometimes similar. Their place of abode was Lankā in Ceylon, where they are described as the original inhabitants, anthropophagi, once the terror of shipwrecked mariners; also described as the barbarian races of ancient India. As demons they are described as terrifying, with black bodies, red hair, green eyes, devourers of men.

A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, William Edward Soothill and Lewis Hodous