Where does “devil” come from?
Devil comes from Middle English devil, from Old English dēofol, from Ancient Greek διάβολος, originally meaning "slanderer" or "accuser," derived from διά meaning "through" or "across."
devil (English): An evil creature; The chief devil; Satan; A...
Definitions
- An evil creature; The chief devil; Satan; A...
Ancestry of “devil”, step by step
devil traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English deovel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | deovel | Alternative form of devel |
| 2 | Middle English | devel | Satan, Lucifer; A devil; an evil creature that... |
| 3 | Old English | dēofol | demon |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | diubul | devil |
| 5 | Latin | diabolus | devil |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | διάβολος | slanderous; libellous; slanderer; the Devil |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | διαβάλλω | throw over or across; set at variance, make a... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | δῐᾰ- | apart; through, across; through; in different... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | διά | throughout |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dwís | twice, doubly; in two |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |