President Barack Obama made an oblique reference to Donald Trump in his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Wednesday, calling him a "homegrown demagogue," which had people running for the dictionary.

However, it seems many viewers misheard the president, who also hailed Hillary Clinton as his political successor, because the similar-sounding word "demigod" also saw a spike in lookups, according to Merriam-Webster's Twitter account.

Lookups for both 'demagogue' and 'demigod' spiking, because this is TV. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemsInPhilly?src=hash">#DemsInPhilly</a> <a href="https://t.co/vwAvo5xMUm">https://t.co/vwAvo5xMUm</a> —@MerriamWebster

'Demagogue' currently the #1 lookup <a href="https://twitter.com/MerriamWebster">@MerriamWebster</a>. Definition: <a href="https://t.co/0yMBufgarS">https://t.co/0yMBufgarS</a> (And 'demigod' is the #2 lookup.) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemsInPhilly?src=hash">#DemsInPhilly</a> —@PeterSokolowski

The dictionary editors were kind enough to provide a definition directly on Twitter, complete with emojis, saving us all a click.

Demigod: 👺 a being with more power than a mortal but less than a god<br>Demagogue: 👊👢a leader who uses prejudices & false claims to gain power —@MerriamWebster

The former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, also called Trump a "dangerous demagogue," in a speech earlier in the evening.

Obama wasn't talking directly about Trump in this section of his speech, but the reference to the Republican candidate is clear:

"America has changed over the years. But these values my grandparents taught me – they haven't gone anywhere. They're as strong as ever; still cherished by people of every party, every race and every faith," said Obama.

"That's why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists, or Communists, or jihadists, or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end," he said.

"Demogogue" was also a trending Google search term, but the @GoogleTrends account noted a spike in searches for one of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's catchphrases as well.