Crossword Genius

Laurel wreathing a fiend (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

satan

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'fiend' is the definition.
(I know that Satan is a type of fiend)

'laurel wreathing a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'sat' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for satan that I've seen before include "The devil, Beelzebub" , "arch-fiend" , "Prince of Darkness" , "Fallen archangel" , "Old Nick, Lucifer or Beelzebub" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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