devil

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdev.əl/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English devel, inherited from Old English dēofol (“devil, evil spirit”), earlier diobul,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin diabolus,^[2][3][5] from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos, “the Devil; accuser, slanderer”),^[2][3][6] an agent noun from διαβάλλειν (diabállein, “to slander, attack”), literally “to throw across”, from διά (diá, “across”) and βάλλειν (bállein, “to throw”).^[2][3][5] In the Septuagint diábolos translated the Hebrew word for Satan.^[7][6][2] The Latin also gave French diable and Italian diavolo,^[3] and Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌻𐌿𐍃 (diabaulus), from the Greek, is the source of German Teufel.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Devil, Satan: before 800 in the OED and Barnhart, as diobul;^[8][2] the plural dēofla, evil spirits, is in Beowulf about 725.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Jerome reintroduced Satan in Latin Bibles; in the Vulgate diabolus and daemon were distinct, but devil and demon have merged in English and the other Germanic languages.^[3] A false or heathen god is from about 1200, and a wicked person resembling a devil from the late 12th century.^[3] The playful sense of a clever rogue is from about 1600,^[3] and the errand boy in a printing house, the printer's devil, from the 1680s, perhaps also because they were often blackened by ink.^[3][5] A junior who does work for a lawyer or writer is from 1864,^[8][5] and a highly seasoned grilled dish is from the 18th century,^[5] with the verb, to grill with hot condiments, from 1800.^[8][4] Speak of the devil, said when someone appears just after being mentioned, is from the mid-17th century,^[7] and the devil finds work for idle hands goes back to the letters of Saint Jerome.^[7] The Scots shortened form is deil.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 725 – dēofla, evil spirits, in Beowulf.^[2]
• before 800 – diobul, the Devil.^[8][2]
• c. 1200 – a heathen god.^[3]
• c. 1600 – a clever rogue.^[3]
• 1680s – a printer's devil.^[3]
• 1800 – to grill with hot seasoning.^[8]
• 1864 – to act as a lawyer's devil.^[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (often the Devil) In Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the chief spirit of evil and enemy of God; Satan.
2. A lesser evil spirit; a demon.
3. A wicked, cruel or ill-tempered person.
4. A person of a specified kind: lucky devil, poor devil.
5. A daring, energetic or mischievous person.
6. A printer's devil, or a junior who works for a lawyer or writer.

Verb

1. To season food heavily, as with mustard or pepper: devilled eggs.
2. To annoy or harass.
3. To do routine work for a lawyer or writer.

Word family

• devilish
• devilment
• devil-may-care
• devil's advocate
• printer's devil

Related words

• diabolo
• diablo
• diabolic
• diabolical
• Satan
• demon
• deil
• devilry

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press