deofol

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin diabolus. Cognate with Old Saxon diuval.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdeːo̯vol/

Noun

dēofol n

  1. the Devil, Satan
  2. a devil, demon, evil spirit
    • 10th century, Ælfric, "Sexigesima Sunday"
      Dēofol sind fuglas ġeċīeġede for þām þe hīe flēogaþ ġeond þās lyft unġesewenlīċe, swā swā fuglas dōþ ġewenlīċe.
      Demons are called birds because they fly through the air invisibly, just as birds do visibly.

Declension

Usage notes

  • The nominative plural can also be dēoflu.
  • This word can sometimes be masculine in the singular, though it is almost always neuter in the plural.
  • In the sense "THE Devil", unlike in modern English, it can be used either with or without a definite article.

Descendants

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.