Where does “devilfish” come from?

devilfish (English) comes from English Devil, 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- — two.

devilfish (English): Any of several unrelated marine animals

Definitions

  1. Any of several unrelated marine animals

Ancestry of “devilfish”, step by step

devilfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Devil

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDevilThe chief devil; Satan
2Middle EnglishdevelSatan, Lucifer; A devil; an evil creature that...
3Old Englishdēofoldemon
4Proto-West Germanicdiubuldevil
5Latindiabolusdevil
6Ancient Greekδιάβολοςslanderous; libellous; slanderer; the Devil
7Ancient Greekδιαβάλλωthrow over or across; set at variance, make a...
8Ancient Greekδῐᾰ-apart; through, across; through; in different...
9Ancient Greekδιάthroughout
10Proto-Indo-Europeandwístwice, doubly; in two
11Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

via English Fish

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFishThe constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces
2Old Englishfiscianto fish
3Proto-West Germanicfiskōnto fish, to catch fish
4Proto-Germanicfiskōnąto fish, to catch fish
5Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
6Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
9Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁
devilfish — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer