First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
1devil
noun dev·il \ˈde-vəl dial ˈdi-\
the Devil : the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who is often represented as the ruler of hell
: an evil spirit
: a person who does bad things or causes trouble usually in a way that is not too serious
Full Definition of DEVIL
1
often capitalized : the personal supreme spirit of evil often represented in Jewish and Christian belief as the tempter of humankind, the leader of all apostate angels, and the ruler of hell —usually used with the —often used as an interjection, an intensive, or a generalized term of abuse <what the devil is this?> <the devil you say!>
2
: an evil spirit : demon
3
a : an extremely wicked person : fiend b archaic : a great evil
4
: a person of notable energy, recklessness, and dashing spirit; also : one who is mischievous <those kids are little devils today>
5
: fellow —usually used in the phrases poor devil, lucky devil
6
a : something very trying or provoking <having a devil of a time with this problem> b : severe criticism or rebuke : hell —used with the <I'll probably catch the devil for this> c : the difficult, deceptive, or problematic part of something <the devil is in the details>
7
8
— between the devil and the deep blue sea
: faced with two equally objectionable alternatives
— devil to pay
: severe consequences —used with the <there'll be the devil to pay if we're late>
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Origin of DEVIL
Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Late Latin diabolus, from Greek diabolos, literally, slanderer, from diaballein to throw across, slander, from dia- + ballein to throw; probably akin to Sanskrit gurate he lifts up
Other Occult Terms
2devil
verb
deviled or devilleddevil·ing or devil·ling \ˈde-və-liŋ, ˈdev-liŋ\
Definition of DEVIL
transitive verb
1
: to season highly <deviled eggs>
First Known Use of DEVIL
1800
DEVIL Defined for Kids
devil
noun dev·il \ˈde-vəl\
Definition of DEVIL for Kids
1
often cap : the most powerful spirit of evil
3
: a wicked or cruel person
4
: an attractive, mischievous, or unfortunate person <a handsome devil> <poor devils>
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