devil

See also: Devil

English
The devil, as depicted by Gustave Doré in John Milton's poem Paradise Lost

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English devil, devel, deovel, from Old English dēofol, dēoful, from earlier dīobul (“devil”), from Latin diabolus, ultimately from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos, “accuser, slanderer”), also as "Satan" (in Jewish/Christian usage, translating Biblical Hebrew שָׂטָן‎ (śātān)), from διαβάλλω (diabállō, “to slander”), literally “to throw across”, from διά (diá, “through, across”) + βάλλω (bállō, “throw”). The Old English word was probably adopted under influence of Latin diabolus (itself from the Greek). Other Germanic languages adopted the word independently: compare Saterland Frisian Düüwel (“devil”), West Frisian duvel (“devil”), Dutch duivel, duvel (“devil”), German Low German Düvel (“devil”), German Teufel (“devil”), Danish djævel (“devil”), Swedish djävul (“devil”) (older: djefvul, Old Swedish diævul, Old Norse djǫfull).

Pronunciation
  • enPR: dĕvʹəl, IPA(key): /ˈdɛvəl/
  • (rare, dated) enPR: dĕvʹîl, IPA(key): /ˈdɛvɪl/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛvəl

Noun

devil (plural devils)

  1. (theology) An evil creature.
  2. (theology) (the devil or the Devil) The chief devil; Satan.
  3. The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel.
    The devil in me wants to let him suffer.
  4. A wicked or naughty person, or one who harbors reckless, spirited energy, especially in a mischievous way; usually said of a young child.
    Those two kids are devils in a toy store.
  5. A thing that is awkward or difficult to understand or do.
    That math problem was a devil.
  6. (euphemistically, with an article, as an intensifier) Hell.
    What in the devil is that? What the devil is that?
    She is having a devil of a time fixing it.
    You can go to the devil for all I care.
  7. A person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him, usually in the phrases poor devil and lucky devil.
  8. A dust devil.
  9. (religion, Christian Science) An evil or erring entity.
  10. (dialectal, in compounds) A barren, unproductive and unused area.[1][2]
    devil strip
  11. (cooking) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.
    • Sir Walter Scott
      Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron.
  12. A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc.
  13. A Tasmanian devil.
    • 2008, Joyce L. Markovics, Tasmanian Devil: Nighttime Scavenger, page 8:
      The stories told by Harris and the other settlers only made people more afraid of the devils. In the 1800s, for example, workers at a wool company were scared that the devils would attack their sheep.
  14. (cycling, slang) An endurance event where riders who fall behind are periodically eliminated.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms
Terms derived from devil (noun)

Descendants

Translations
dust devil — see dust devil
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

devil (third-person singular simple present devils, present participle (US) deviling or devilling, simple past and past participle (US) deviled or devilled)

  1. To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.
  2. To annoy or bother; to bedevil.
  3. To work as a ‘devil’; to work for a lawyer or writer without fee or recognition.
    • 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia, Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), page 401:
      He did not repeat the scathing estimate of her character by Quatrefages, who at that time spent one afternoon a week devilling at the Consulate, keeping the petty-cash box in order.
  4. To grill with cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking, as with pepper.
  5. To finely grind cooked ham or other meat with spices and condiments.
  6. To prepare a sidedish of shelled halved boiled eggs to whose extracted yolks are added condiments and spices, which mixture then is placed into the halved whites to be served.
    • She's going to devil four dozen eggs for the picnic.

Usage notes
  • UK usage doubles the l in the inflected forms "devilled" and "devilling"; US usage generally does not.

Synonyms

Derived terms
  • deviled egg, devilled egg
  • deviled ham, devilled ham

Translations

See also

References
  1. Dictionary of Regional American English
  2. Word Detective: Tales from the berm

Anagrams

Middle English

Noun

devil

  1. Alternative form of devel
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