Where does “deviling” come from?
deviling (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.
deviling (English): present participle of devil; A young devil
Definitions
- present participle of devil; A young devil
Ancestry of “deviling”, step by step
deviling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Devil
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Devil | The chief devil; Satan |
| 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 |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |