Devils

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛvl̩z/

Definitions

1. Supernatural beings believed to embody evil ; persons who act with cruelty or malice
2. Mythical figures associated with evil or temptation ; individuals characterized by malicious behavior
3. Spiritual entities considered sources of wickedness ; humans displaying very bad or harmful traits

Etymology: The plural "devils" simply pluralises "devil," so the real story is in the singular. That word began in ancient Greek as "diábolos," meaning "slanderer" or "false accuser." It was built from "diá," meaning "through" or "across," and "bállō," meaning "throw," and the verb "diabállō" meant "to slander," literally "to throw across" someone, as if hurling an accusation at them. The Greek noun was then used in Jewish and Christian writing to translate the Hebrew "śātān," "adversary," and so came to name the chief spirit of evil. The Latin "diabolus" carried the word westward, and it reached Old English as "dēofol" through a Proto-West Germanic form, probably under the influence of Latin rather than through Greek directly. The Middle English forms "devel" and "deovel" followed, eventually giving the modern "devil." Other Germanic languages took the word separately, which is why Dutch has "duivel," German "Teufel," and Swedish "djävul." The English word is a doublet of "diable" and "diablo," which came into the Romance languages from the same Latin source.

Synonyms: demons, fiends, evil spirits, devil, satan

Antonyms: angels, saints, heroes, good, virtuous