devil

English Online Dictionary. What means devil‎? What does devil mean?

English

Alternative forms

• davil, debbil (pronunciation spelling)
• diuel, divel (dialectal or archaic)
• deuill, devel, devell, devill, diuell (obsolete)

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, “false 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”), Bavarian Teifl (“devil”), Danish djævel (“devil”), Swedish djävul (“devil”) (older: djefvul, Old Swedish diævul, Old Norse djǫfull). Doublet of diable, diablo, and diabolus.

Pronunciation

• enPR: dĕvʹəl, IPA^(key): /ˈdɛvəl/
• (rare, dated) enPR: dĕvʹîl, IPA^(key): /ˈdɛvɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɛvəl

Proper noun

the devil

1. (theology) The chief devil; Satan.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:Satan

   Antonym: God

Alternative forms

• Devil

Translations

Noun

devil (plural devils)

1. (theology) An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.

   Synonym: demon

   Antonyms: angel, god

2. (folklore) A fictional image of a man, usually red or orange in skin color; with a set of horns on his head, a pointed goatee and a long tail and carrying a pitchfork; that represents evil and portrayed to children in an effort to discourage bad behavior.
3. The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel.

   Antonyms: angel, conscience

4. A wicked or naughty person, or one who harbors reckless, spirited energy, especially in a mischievous way; usually said of a young child.

   Synonyms: imp, rascal, scamp, scoundrel

   Antonyms: angel, saint

5. A thing that is awkward or difficult to understand or do.

   Synonyms: bastard, bitch, (UK) bugger, stinker

   Antonyms: (US) cakewalk, piece of cake

6. (euphemistic, with an article, as an intensifier) Hell.

   Synonyms: (euphemistic) deuce, (euphemistic) dickens, (vulgar) fuck, heck, hell

7. A person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him, usually in the phrases poor devil and lucky devil.

   Synonyms: (UK) bugger, (used of a woman) cow, (UK) sod

8. A printer's assistant.

   Synonym: printer's devil
9. (India) A poltergeist that haunts printing works.
10. A dust devil.
11. (dialectal, in compounds) A barren, unproductive and unused area.

12. (cooking) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.
13. A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc., as used in the production of mungo or shoddy.
14. A Tasmanian devil.
    • 1999, Julia Leigh, The Hunter, Faber & Faber 2012, p. 32:

      He removes his food, water, and torch from the pack and then pushes it to the far end of the tent – no devil is going to rip his pack apart tonight.
15. (cycling, slang) An endurance event where riders who fall behind are periodically eliminated.
16. (nautical) Ellipsis of devil seam.: The seam between garboard strake and the keel (a seam on wooden boats)

    Coordinate terms: between the devil and the deep blue sea, devil to pay

Derived terms

Related terms

• diabolo
• diablo

Descendants

• Tok Pisin: tewel
• → Chuukese: tefin

Translations

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.

   Synonyms: bedevil; see also Thesaurus:annoy

3. To work as a ‘devil’; to work for a lawyer or writer without fee or recognition.
4. To prepare (food) with spices, making it spicy:
   1. To grill with cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking, as with pepper.
   2. To finely grind cooked ham or other meat with spices and condiments.
   3. 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.

5. To shred fabric into its fibres for recycling, as in the production of mungo or shoddy.

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

Further reading

• devil on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• divel, lived, vilde, viled

Middle English

Noun

devil

1. Alternative form of devel