Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

devil

/ˈdɛvəl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.30 in modern English

Syllables
dev-il
IPA
/ˈdɛvəl/
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The chief devil; Satan.

noun

An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.

noun

A man with red or orange skin and a pair of horns on his head, a pointed goatee, and a long tail, who carries a pitchfork, represents evil, and is portrayed to children as a boogeyman who punishes bad behavior.

noun

The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel.

noun

A wicked or naughty person, or one who harbors reckless, spirited energy, especially in a mischievous way; usually said of a young child.

noun

A thing that is awkward or difficult to understand or do.

noun

Hell.

noun

A person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him, usually in the phrases poor devil and lucky devil.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *dwísder. Ancient Greek διά (diá) Ancient Greek δια- (dia-) Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō) Ancient Greek διαβάλλω (diabállō) Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos)bor. Latin diabolusbor. Proto-West Germanic *diubul Old English dēofol Middle English devel English devil From Middle English devil, devel, deovel, from Old English dēofol, from Proto-West Germanic *diubul, from Latin diabolus, ultimately from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos, “false accuser, slanderer”), also as "Satan" (in Jewish/Christian usage, translating Biblical Hebrew שָׂטָן (śātān)), from διαβάλλω (diabállō, “to slander”), literally “to throw across”, from διά (diá, “through, across”) + βάλλω (bállō, “throw”). The Old English word was probably adopted under influence of Latin diabolus (itself from the Greek). Other Germanic languages adopted the word independently: compare Saterland Frisian Düüwel (“devil”), West Frisian duvel (“devil”), Dutch duivel, duvel (“devil”), German Low German Düvel (“devil”), German Teufel (“devil”), Bavarian Teifl (“devil”), Danish djævel (“devil”), Swedish djävul (“devil”) (older: djefvul, Old Swedish diævul, Old Norse djǫfull). Doublet of diable, diablo, and diabolus.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

the devil (canonical) davil (alternative, pronunciation spelling) debbil (alternative, pronunciation spelling) diuel (alternative, archaic) divel (alternative, archaic) divil (alternative, archaic) deuill (alternative, obsolete) devel (alternative, obsolete) devell (alternative, obsolete) devill (alternative, obsolete) diuell (alternative, obsolete) devils (plural)

Derived Forms

archdevil bedevil daredevil demidevil devildom deviled deviless devilet devilette deviling devilish devilism

Phrases

be a devil better the devil you know better the devil you know than the devil you don't better the devil you know than the devil you don't know better the devil you know than the one you don't better the devil you know than the one you don't know between the devil and the deep blue sea blue devil

Frequently Paired Words

diabolo diablo between the devil and the deep blue sea devil to pay Al-Shaytaan angel daeva demon

Synonyms

Aduwallah Adversary Al-Shaytaan Antichrist archfiend Ash-Shaytan Azazel Beast Beelzebub bogey cosmocrat deceiver

Antonyms

God angel conscience saint cakewalk piece of cake

Rhymes With

level high-level low-level revel bevel multilevel evel bedevil bevil bevill dishevel neville

Questions

How do you pronounce devil?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɛvəl/.
What does devil mean?
The chief devil; Satan.
Where does devil come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce devil

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “devil”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɛvəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “devil”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “devil” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.