Archdevils

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Supreme supernatural beings embodying ultimate evil and command over infernal realms ; chief malevolent entities ranking above ordinary fiends and demons ; highest-ranking fiendish rulers presiding over dark domains and orchestrating wicked deeds
2. Principal demonic sovereigns wielding immense power in hellish hierarchies ; foremost evil spirits governing legions of lesser demons ; dominant infernal lords embodying corruption and malice at the pinnacle of wickedness
3. Leading dark supernatural figures who rule over diabolical realms ; supreme commanders of fiendish forces promoting chaos and sin ; exalted villains of infernal mythology symbolizing profound malevolence

Etymology: The word is simple in construction: "arch-" attached to "devil." The prefix comes from Ancient Greek "arkhi-," meaning "chief" or "ruling," which passed into Latin as "archi-" and then into Old English as "arce-," before reaching Middle English as "arch-." Its sense of supremacy is what gives the compound its force, since "arch-" marks a figure as foremost among its kind, as in "archbishop." The base word has a more tangled ancestry. "Devil" descends from Greek "diábolos," literally "slanderer" or "accuser," formed from "diá" (across) and "bállō" (throw). Greek-speaking Christians used this term for the adversary, and it passed into Latin as "diabolus." Old English took it up as "dēofol," which became "devel" in Middle English and "devil" in modern English. Put together, "archdevil" names a figure ranking above ordinary demons, the chief of the infernal hierarchy. The plural "archdevils" simply pluralizes this sense, and the compound is best understood as a straightforward coinage: a Greek-derived prefix placed before an ancient word for the accuser.

Synonyms: archdemons, principalities, overlords, fiends, diabolists

Antonyms: angels, saints, archangels