devil

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“
It rarely can be made to come out exactly right, and the devil is consequently a wide and somewhat irregular seam.

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Definitions (101)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (22)

  1. noun In many religions, the major personified spirit of evil, ruler of Hell, and foe of God. Used with the.
  2. noun A subordinate evil spirit; a demon.
  3. noun A wicked or malevolent person.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (70)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples

  • 'Sdeath, I turned and ran the other way like the devil was after me. —  Richard Carvel
  • It rarely can be made to come out exactly right, and the devil is consequently a wide and somewhat irregular seam. —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XII No 1
  • "And everyone knows the devil is French!" said a sailor. —  Pastwatch, the Redemtion of Christopher Columbus
  • But as the devil is an unwearied tempter, so he never fails to find opportunity for that wickedness he invites to. —  The Fortunes And Misfortunes Of The Famous Moll Flanders
  • * I didn't know what the devil was afoot, or why - but I'd heard his name and his threat and seen his Derringer. —  Watershed
 

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Words tagged devil

diabolical · prada

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Devil has been looked up 371 times, favorited twice, listed 30 times, and commented on 3 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Late Greek diabolos, from Greek, slanderer, from diaballein, to slander : dia-, dia- + ballein, to hurl; see gwelə- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Also formerly devel (devell, etc.), also and still dial. or colloq. divel (divell, etc.), and contr. deil, deel, deal, deale, dule, etc.; from Middle English devil, devel, devell, divell, deovel, contr. deul, dule, del, etc., from Anglo-Saxon deófol, deóful, oldest form dióbal = Old Saxon diubal = OFries. diovel, divel, = Dutch duivel = Middle Low German duvel, Low German dävel = Old High German tiufal, tiuval, tiefal, Middle High German tiuvel, tiufel, tiefel, tuvel, German teufel = Icelandic djöfull = Swedish djefvul = Danish djævel = Gothic (Moesogothic) diabula, diabaulus, diabulus = Old French diable, deable, French diable = Provencal diable, diabol = Spanish diablo = Portuguese diabo = Italian diavolo, from Late Latin diabolus, a devil, the devil, = Old Bulgarian diyavolŭ, dĭyavolŭ, Bulgarian diyavol = Servian dyavo = Bohemian d'abel = Polish djabel, dyabel (barred l) = Sorbian dyabol = Russian dĭyavolŭ, diavolŭ, devil, from Greek διάβολος, a slanderer, in New Testament and ecclesiastical use the devil, from διαβάλλειν, slander, traduce, literally throw across, from διά through, across, + βάλλειν, throw. Cf. diabolic, etc.
  2. from devil, n.
 

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/ˈdɛvl/
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