devil
An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.
Noun 4 meanings
An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.
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.
The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel.
“The devil in me wants to let him suffer.”
A wicked or naughty person, or one who harbors reckless, spirited energy, especially in a mischievous way; usually said of a young child.
“Those two kids are devils in a toy store.”
Verb 4 meanings
To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.
To annoy or bother.
To work as a ‘devil’; to work for a lawyer or writer without fee or recognition.
To ghostwrite; to author while working as a ‘devil’.
Etymology
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”).
Similar and opposite words
DEVIL at a glance
DEVIL has 5 letters and scores 9 points in Scrabble (D 2 + E 1 + V 4 + I 1 + L 1) and 11 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #4,214 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with devil
All rhymesOne letter away
- DEVEL9
- DEVIS9
- KEVIL12
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