devil

Alternative forms

• divel (dialectal)
• devel, devell (obsolete)
• Devil (for the sense "the chief devil; Satan")

Etymology

From Middle English devil, devel, deovel, from Old English dēofol, dēoful, from earlier dīobul (“devil”), ultimately from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos, “accuser, slanderer”), also as "Satan" (in Jewish/Christian usage, translating Biblical Hebrew שטן‎, satán), 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”), 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/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛvəl

Noun

devil (plural devils)

1. (theology) A creature of hell.
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.

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.

See also

• angel
• demon
• enemy
• Lucifer
• Satan
• Ravana

References

Anagrams

• divel, lived, vilde, viled