entry
devil
/ˈdɛvəl/A personified evil spirit; also a mischievous rogue.
From Greek dia (across) + Greek ballein (to throw).
from Late Latin diabolus (also the source of Italian diavolo , French diable , Spanish diablo ; German Teufel is Old...
from Greek diaballein "to slander, attack," literally "to throw across,"
from Late Latin diabolus (also the source of Italian diavolo , French diable , Spanish diablo ; German Teufel is Old...
from Greek diaballein "to slander, attack," literally "to throw across,"
from Greek diaballein "to slander, attack," literally "to throw across,"
Word Ancestry
from Late Latin diabolus (also the source of Italian diavolo , French diable , Spanish diablo ; German Teufel is Old...
from Greek diaballein "to slander, attack," literally "to throw across,"
from Late Latin diabolus (also the source of Italian diavolo , French diable , Spanish diablo ; German Teufel is Old...
from Greek diaballein "to slander, attack," literally "to throw across,"
from Greek diaballein "to slander, attack," literally "to throw across,"
A devil is, etymologically speaking, a smear campaign with horns. The Greek verb diaballein meant “to throw across” — as if you hurled a claim over a chasm at someone — and that neat little act of verbal sabotage gave the world diabolos, the slanderer, which Christian Latin turned into diabolus. Jerome’s Latin Bible helped keep Satan and diabolus circulating side by side, and English eventually settled on devil, while German went its own route with Teufel. The same throwing root lurks in words far from church pews, like ballistics and hyperbole, which makes the devil feel less like a monster than like a very old accusation that learned to walk upright. By the time English speakers were saying a devil of a time, the word had already gone from theology to everyday irritation — the linguistic equivalent of a demon losing his halo and keeping the punchline.
The Story
A devil is, etymologically speaking, a smear campaign with horns. The Greek verb diaballein meant “to throw across” — as if you hurled a claim over a chasm at someone — and that neat little act of verbal sabotage gave the world diabolos, the slanderer, which Christian Latin turned into diabolus. Jerome’s Latin Bible helped keep Satan and diabolus circulating side by side, and English eventually settled on devil, while German went its own route with Teufel. The same throwing root lurks in words far from church pews, like ballistics and hyperbole, which makes the devil feel less like a monster than like a very old accusation that learned to walk upright. By the time English speakers were saying a devil of a time, the word had already gone from theology to everyday irritation — the linguistic equivalent of a demon losing his halo and keeping the punchline.
Kin & Kindred
From 'dia'·across, through
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'ballein'·to throw, cast
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary