Where does “Devil” come from?
Devil (English) comes from Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Proto-West Germanic diubul, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek διάβολος, from Ancient Greek διαβάλλω, from Ancient Greek δῐᾰ-, from Ancient Greek διά — two.
Ancestry of “Devil”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | devel | Satan, Lucifer; A devil; an evil creature that... |
| 2 | Old English | dēofol | demon |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | diubul | devil |
| 4 | Latin | diabolus | devil |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | διάβολος | slanderous; libellous; slanderer; the Devil |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | διαβάλλω | throw over or across; set at variance, make a... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | δῐᾰ- | apart; through, across; through; in different... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | διά | throughout |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dwís | twice, doubly; in two |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |