devil

devil
devil O.E. deofol "evil spirit, a devil, the devil, false god, diabolical person," from L.L. diabolus (also the source of It. diavolo, Fr. diable, Sp. diablo; Ger. Teufel is O.H.G. tiufal, from Latin via Goth. diabaulus), from Ecclesiastical Gk. diabolos, in Jewish and Christian use, "Devil, Satan" (scriptural loan-translation of Heb. satan), in general use "accuser, slanderer," from diaballein "to slander, attack," lit. "throw across," from dia- "across, through" + ballein "to throw" (see BALLISTICS (Cf. ballistics)). Jerome re-introduced Satan in Latin bibles, and English translators have used both in different measures. In Vulgate, as in Gk., diabolus and dæmon (see DEMON (Cf. demon)) were distinct, but they have merged in English and other Germanic languages. Playful use for "clever rogue" is from c.1600. Meaning "sand spout, dust storm" is from 1835. In U.S. place names, the word often represents a native word such as Algonquian manito, more properly "spirit, god." Phrase a devil way (late 13c.) was originally an emphatic form of away, but taken by late 14c. as an expression of irritation. Devil's books "playing cards" is from 1729, but the cited quote says they've been called that "time out of mind" (the four of clubs is the devil's bedposts); devil's coach-horse is from 1840, the large rove-beetle, which is defiant when disturbed. "Talk of the Devil, and he's presently at your elbow" [1660s].

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Devil — • The name commonly given to the fallen angels, who are also known as demons. With the article (ho) it denotes Lucifer, their chief, as in Matthew 25:41, the Devil and his angels Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Devil     Devil …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • devil — ► NOUN 1) (the Devil) (in Christian and Jewish belief) the supreme spirit of evil. 2) an evil spirit; a demon. 3) a very wicked or cruel person. 4) a mischievously clever or self willed person. 5) informal a person with specified characteristics …   English terms dictionary

  • Devil — Dev il, n. [AS. de[ o]fol, de[ o]ful; akin to G. ?eufel, Goth. diaba[ u]lus; all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. ? the devil, the slanderer, fr. ? to slander, calumniate, orig., to throw across; ? across + ? to throw, let fall, fall; cf. Skr. gal… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • devil — [dev′əl] n. [ME devel < OE deofol < LL(Ec) diabolus < Gr diabolos, slanderous (in LXX, Satan; in N.T., devil) < diaballein, to slander, lit., throw across < dia , across + ballein, to throw: see BALL2] 1. Theol. a) [often D ] the… …   English World dictionary

  • DevIL — Тип графическая библиотека Разработчик Denton Woods Nicolas Weber Meloni Dario и др. Написана на C Операционная система Кроссплатформенное программное обеспечение Последняя версия 1.7.8 (8 марта 2009 года) …   Википедия

  • DEViL — (engl. Teufel) bezeichnet: ein Album der Band Die Ärzte, siehe Devil (Album) eine Programmierschnittstelle zum Laden und Speichern von Grafiken, siehe DevIL Development Environment for Visual Languages (DEViL), ein Generator System für visuelle… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Devil — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Devil Álbum de Die Ärzte Publicación 21 de noviembre de 2005 Género(s) Punk Rock …   Wikipedia Español

  • Devil — (engl. Teufel) bezeichnet: ein Album der Band Die Ärzte, siehe Debil (Album)#Devil eine Programmierschnittstelle zum Laden und Speichern von Grafiken, siehe DevIL Development Environment for Visual Languages (DEViL), ein Generator System für… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Devil — Données clés Titre québécois Démon Réalisation Drew et John Erick Dowdle Scénario M. Night Shyamalan Brian Nelson Acteurs principaux Bojana Novakovic Chris Messina Sociétés de productio …   Wikipédia en Français

  • devil\ of\ it — • devil of it • heck of it n. phr. 1. the worst or most unlucky thing about a trouble or accident; the part that is most regrettable. Andy lost his notebook, and the devil of it was that the notebook contained all his homework for the coming week …   Словарь американских идиом

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