devil
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: dĕvʹəl
ipa: /ˈdɛvəl/
enpr: dĕvʹîl
ipa: /ˈdɛvɪl/
rhymes: -ɛvəl
Forms: form: devils
form: deviling
form: devilling
form: deviled
form: deviled
form: devilled
form: devilled
form: davil
form: debbil
form: diuel
form: divel
form: deuill
form: devel
form: devell
form: devill
form: diuell
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁
Proto-Indo-European *dwísder.
Ancient Greek διά (diá)
Ancient Greek δια- (dia-)
Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der.
Ancient Greek βᾰ́λλω (bắllō)
Ancient Greek διαβάλλω (diabállō)
Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos)bor.
Latin diabolusbor.
Proto-West Germanic *diubul
Old English dēofol
Middle English devel
English devil
From Middle English devil, devel, deovel, from Old English dēofol, from Proto-West Germanic *diubul, 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.
Senses: glosses: To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.
synonyms: word: bedevil
word: aggravate
word: annoy
word: rankle
word: ruffle
word: sting
word: antagonize
word: bother
word: disgruntle
word: botherate
word: bug
word: get
word: grate
word: burn up
word: bedevil
word: cheese off
word: devil
word: exasperate
word: frustrate
word: get up
word: grotch
word: hack off
word: hassle
word: irk
word: irritate
word: jazz
word: molest
word: mommick
word: nark
word: nerve
word: pee off
word: peeve
word: persecute
word: pique
word: piss off
word: provoke
word: rile
word: rile up
word: roil
word: storm
word: test someone's patience
word: tick off
word: trouble
word: try one's patience
word: vex
word: wind up
word: Idioms:
word: boil someone's piss
word: chap someone's hide
word: get on someone's nerves
word: get on someone's tits
word: get on someone's wick
word: get someone's back up
word: get someone's dander up
word: get someone's goat
word: get someone's Irish up
word: get someone's nanny
word: get someone's nanny-goat
word: get under one's goat
word: get under someone's skin
word: give someone the shits
word: grind one's gears
word: harsh one's mellow
word: put someone's back up
word: raise someone's hackles
word: rub someone the wrong way
word: rub up the wrong way
word: ruffle someone's feathers
word: tee off
word: torque off
glosses: To annoy or bother.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 401:
glosses: To work as a ‘devil’; to work for a lawyer or writer without fee or recognition.
examples: text: Didn't secretaries write the speeches of Parliamentary "big-bugs"? Weren't the opinions of eminent lawyers often written by their juniors, read over and signed? Weren't briefs and pleadings devilled?
ref: 1922, John Galsworthy, Conscience, page 4:
glosses: To ghostwrite; to author while working as a ‘devil’.
examples: text: […]; you could watch a buckwheat pancake whirled into existence under your eyes and see fowls' legs devilled, peppered, grilled, and tormented till they lost all semblance of the original Mariposa chicken.
ref: 1912, Stephen Leacock, “The Hostelry of Mr. Smith”, in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, page 28:
glosses: To prepare (food) with spices, making it spicy:
To grill with cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking, as with pepper.
glosses: To prepare (food) with spices, making it spicy:
To finely grind cooked ham or other meat with spices and condiments.
examples: text: She's going to devil four dozen eggs for the picnic.
glosses: To prepare (food) with spices, making it spicy:
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.
examples: text: Tailors' clippings and remnants of fine woollen goods, such as broadcloth, etc., are devilled and spun into yarn for making cloth of nicer quality, called mungo.
ref: 1918, Henry J. Spooner, Wealth from Waste: Elimination of Waste A World Problem, George Routledge & Sons, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 200:
glosses: To shred fabric into its fibres for recycling, as in the production of mungo or shoddy.
Derived terms: topics: food
lifestyle
word: deviled egg
topics: food
lifestyle
word: devilled egg
topics: food
lifestyle
word: deviled ham
topics: food
lifestyle
word: devilled ham
topics: food
lifestyle
word: devilled sausages
sense: bothersome
word: between the devil and the deep blue sea
sense: bothersome
word: devil bolt
sense: bothersome
word: devil seam
sense: bothersome
word: devil to pay
Related terms: Al-Shaytaan
angel
daeva
demon
enemy
ghoul
jinn
Lucifer
nasnas
Satan