Word: devil Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwísder. Ancient Greek διά (diá) Ancient Greek δια- (dia-) Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō) 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. Pronunciation: /ˈdɛvəl/, [ˈdɛvəl] ~ [ˈdɛvl̩], /ˈdɛvɪl/, [ˈdɛvɪl] 1. An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. 2. A man with red or orange skin and a pair of horns on his head, a pointed goatee, and a long tail, who carries a pitchfork, represents evil, and is portrayed to children as a boogeyman who punishes bad behavior. 3. The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel. Example: 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. Example: Those two kids are devils in a toy store. 5. A thing that is awkward or difficult to understand or do. Example: That math problem was a devil. 6. Hell. Labels: euphemistic Example: What in the devil is that? Example: What the devil is that? 7. A person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him, usually in the phrases poor devil and lucky devil. Example: 'Well, I'm damned,' said Bond. 'Of course that old devil M never told me. He just gives one the facts. Never tells one any good news. I suppose he thinks it might influence one's decision to take a case or not.' 8. A printer's assistant. Example: For he will not leave his listener to dwell upon sorrow when the print office beckons and he can show you what a good little devil he became. 9. A poltergeist that haunts printing works. Labels: India 10. A dust devil. Example: The formation of tornados and water-spouts is very probably identical with that of dust-storms and "devils," viz., a sudden disturbance of the vertical equilibrium of the atmosphere, where by an upward rush of air is generated, which rapidly becomes spiral. Example: There are few sights more appalling than a sandstorm in the desert, the "Zauba'ah" as the Arabs call it. Devils, or pillars of sand, vertical and inclined, measuring a thousand feet high[.] 11. A barren, unproductive and unused area. Labels: dialectal, in-compounds Example: devil strip 12. A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper. Example: Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron. 13. A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc., as used in the production of mungo or shoddy. Example: The woollen things are torn to pieces by a machine having spiked rollers (termed a devil), cleansed, and the fibre spun with a certain proportion of new wool, the yarn being afterwards woven into the full-bodied but flimsy fabric termed shoddy. 14. A Tasmanian devil. Example: 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. Example: In the 1800s, for example, workers at a wool company were scared that the devils would attack their sheep. 15. An endurance event where riders who fall behind are periodically eliminated. Labels: slang 16. Ellipsis of devil seam (“the seam between garboard strake and the keel, on wooden boats”). Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis