Where does “devilish” come from?
Devilish comes from Middle English develissh, from the Middle English suffix -yssh, from Old English -isc, from Proto-Germanic -iską, ultimately from Ancient Greek διάβολος meaning slanderer or accuser.
devilish (English): Resembling a devil; Characteristic of a devil;...
Definitions
- Resembling a devil; Characteristic of a devil;...
Ancestry of “devilish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | develissh | devilish, hellish |
| 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 |
Words derived from “devilish”