Where does “evil” come from?
Evil comes from Middle English evel, from Old English yfel, traced to Proto-Indo-European h₂wep-, with the ultimate sense remaining uncertain.
evil (English): Intending to harm; malevolent; Morally corrupt;...
Definitions
- Intending to harm; malevolent; Morally corrupt;...
Ancestry of “evil”, step by step
evil traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle Low German hovel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | hovel | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hubilaz | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewb- | briar, thorn |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱew- | skin, colour of the skin; to shine; bright; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷṓws | cattle |
via Middle English yvel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | yvel | Morally evil; iniquitous, malign; Causing harm;... |
| 2 | Old English | yfel | bad; bad in a moral sense, evil; something bad or... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | ubil | bad, evil |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *ubilaz | — |
Words derived from “evil”