wikipedia
English

Etymology
OE. deofol|d�ofol, from AGr. polytonic|διάβολο� �accuser, slanderer�, �Satan� (in Jewish/Christian usage, translating Biblical Hebrew ש��), from polytonic|διαβάλλειν �to slander�, literally �to throw across�, from polytonic|διά �through, across� + polytonic|βάλλειν �throw�. The Old English word was probably adopted under influence of Latin diabolus (itself from the Greek). Other Germanic languages adopted the word independently: compare Dutch duivel, German Teufel, Swedish djefvul.

Pronunciation
enPR|d�vʹ�l, IPA|/�d�v�l/, SAMPA|/"dEv@l/
audio|en-us-devil.ogg|Audio (US)
rhymes|�v�l

Noun
en-noun

1. theology A creature of hell.
2. theology (the devil or the Devil) The chief devil; Satan.
3. The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel.

#* The devil in me wants to let him suffer.

1. 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 can really be little devils when they get into a toy store.

1. A thing that is awkward or difficult to understand or do.

#* That mathematics problem is quite a devil.

1. context|euphemistically|with an article|as an intensifier Hell.

#* What in the devil is that?
#* She is having a devil of a time fixing it.
#* He�ll have a devil of a fate if he doesn�t get it done on time.
#* You can go to the devil for all I care.

1. A person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him, usually in the phrases poor devil and lucky devil.
2. A dust devil.
3. context|Christian Science An evil or erroneous entity.

Synonyms
(a creature of hell): demon
(the chief devil): Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Old Nick, Old Scratch (US), Satan
(thing awkward or difficult to understand or do): bastard, bitch, bugger (UK), stinker
(wicked or naughty person): imp, rascal, scamp, scoundrel
(as a euphemistic intensifier): deuce (euphemistic), dickens (euphemistic), fuck (only in senses with the; taboo slang), heck, hell
(a person, especially a man (as in "poor devil")): bugger (UK), cow (used of a woman), sod (UK)
(dust devil): dust devil

Antonyms
(a creature of hell): angel, god
(the chief devil): Allah, God
(the bad part of the conscience): angel, conscience
(thing awkward or difficult to understand): cakewalk (US), piece of cake, simplicity itself
(wicked or naughty person): angel, saint

Derived terms
rel-top|derived terms
bedevil
devilish, devillish
devilry, deviltry
a devil way
devil-may-care
dust devil
how the devil
the devil has all the best tunes
the devil is in the details
devil�s advocate
devil�s bedposts
devil�s books
devil�s coach-horse
rel-mid
devil�s food cake
devil's own
Devil�s Night
devil�s staircase
Devil�s Tower
the devil take the hindmost
poor devil
speak of the devil
silver tongued devil
Tasmanian devil
what the devil
where the devil
who the devil
why the devil
rel-bottom

Related terms

diabolo
diablo

Translations
trans-top|a creature of hell
Croatian: t+|hr|vrag|m
Czech: t+|cs|�ábel|m, t-|cs|�ert|m
Dutch: t|nl|duivel|m
Finnish: t-|fi|paholainen, t+|fi|piru, t+|fi|perkele, t+|fi|sielunvihollinen
French: t+|fr|diable|m
Friulan: diaul m
German: t+|de|Teufel|m
trans-mid
Hebrew: he-translation|ש�|shéd m, he-translation|ש��|sat'án m,
Italian: t+|it|diavolo|m
Japanese: �� (���, akuma)
Korean: �� (angma)
Polish: t+|pl|diabe�|m
Russian: ���� (�ort) m, д��вол (d�jávol) m, бе� (b'es) m
Spanish: t-|es|diablo|m
trans-bottom

Croatian: t+|hr|vrag|m
Czech: t-|cs|satan|m
Dutch: de t|nl|duivel|m
Finnish: t+|fi|saatana|altSaatana, t-|fi|Paholainen, t+|fi|perkele|altPerkele, t+|fi|sielunvihollinen|alt=Sielunvihollinen
trans-mid
French: le t+|fr|diable|m
German: t+|de|Teufel|m, t+|de|Satan|m
Hebrew: he-translation|ש��|sat'án m
Italian: il diavolo m
Korean: �� (angma)
Russian: д��вол (d�jávol) m
Spanish: t-|es|diablo|m
trans-bottom

trans-top|bad part of the conscience
Croatian: t+|hr|vrag|m
Czech: t+|cs|�ábel|m
Dutch: t|nl|duivel|m
Finnish: t+|fi|piru
Hebrew: he-translation|�צר �רע|yétzer ha'rá m
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|wicked or naughty person
Croatian: t+|hr|vrag|m
Dutch: t|nl|duivel|m, t+|nl|deugniet|m
Finnish: t-|fi|paholainen, t+|fi|piru, t+|fi|perkele
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|thing that is awkward or difficult to understand
Dutch: t+|nl|hard|alt=harde t+|nl|noot|f
Finnish: pirullinen tehtävä, pirullinen tilanne
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|euphemistically, with an article: Hell (as an intensifier)
Dutch: t|nl|verduiveld
Finnish: t+|fi|piru, t+|fi|helvetti
French: t+|fr|diable|m
<!-- this should be moved to diable what the devil are you doing? &mdash; que diable fais-tu? -->
Hebrew: he-translation|ע����|azazél m
Italian: t+|it|diavolo, t+|it|cavolo
<!-- this should be moved to diavolo/cavolo what the devil are you doing? &mdash; che diavolo fai? or che cavolo fai? -->
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him
Dutch: t|nl|duivel|m, t-|nl|duvel|m (informal)
Finnish: t+|fi|piru, t-|fi|piruparka
<!-- this should be moved to poor devil and/or type **poor devil &mdash; pauvre type -->
trans-mid
French: t+|fr|type|m
German: t+|de|Teufel|m
trans-bottom

trans-top|dust devil
See dust devil
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|in Christian Science, an evil or erroneous entity
Croatian: t+|hr|vrag|m
trans-mid
Dutch: t|nl|duivel|m
trans-bottom

checktrans
trans-top|Translations to be checked
ttbc|Albanian: djall, dreqi
ttbc|Catalan: t-|ca|diable|m
ttbc|Chinese: ��, �� (èmó), �鬼 (mógu�)
ttbc|Cornish: dyowl
ttbc|Estonian: kurat
ttbc|German: Teufel m
ttbc|Greek: διάβολο� (diávolos) m
ttbc|Hindi: श�तान (shait�n)
ttbc|Hungarian: ördög
ttbc|Indonesian: setan, iblis
ttbc|Italian: diavolo m, demonio m
ttbc|Latin: diabolus m
ttbc|Macedonian: �авол
ttbc|Norman: dgiâbl'ye
ttbc|Norwegian: djevel
ttbc|Portuguese: diabo m
ttbc|Romanian: drac m, diavol m, naiba f
ttbc|Serbian: �аво (�avo) m
ttbc|Slovak: diabol m
ttbc|Swedish: djävul c, jävul c
ttbc|Turkish: �eytan
ttbc|Vietnamese: t+|vi|ma|xs=Vietnamese, quá»·, ma quá»·
ttbc|Welsh: diafol, (in curses) diawl
trans-bottom

Verb
en-verb|devils|deviling or devilling|deviled or devilled

1. To annoy or bother; to bedevil.
2. To grill with Cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking, as with pepper.

Usage notes
UK usage doubles the l in the inflected forms "devilled" and "devilling"; US usage generally does not.

Synonyms
(annoy or bother): annoy, bedevil, bother, irk, irritate, pester, trouble

Derived terms
deviled egg, devilled egg
deviled ham, devilled ham

Translations
trans-top|annoy or bother
Dutch: t|nl|beduvelen, t|nl|pesten, t+|nl|plagen
Finnish: t-|fi|ärsyttää, t-|fi|suututtaa
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|grill with Cayenne pepper
Dutch: t|nl|peperen
Finnish: pippuroida
trans-mid
trans-bottom

See also
angel
demon
enemy
Lucifer
Satan
Ravana

Category:English intensifiers

ang:devil
de:devil
fr:devil
io:devil
it:devil
hu:devil
ja:devil
pl:devil
qu:devil
ru:devil
simple:devil
sr:devil
fi:devil
te:devil
vi:devil
zh:devil

• 2007-12-25 08:45 - Stephen G. Brown - Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Manooch|Manooch]] ([[User_talk:Manooch|Talk]]); changed back to last version by [[User:Tbot|Tbot]]

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