dev·il

(dĕv′əl)

1. often Devil In many religions, the major personified spirit of evil, ruler of Hell, and foe of God. Used with the.

2. A subordinate evil spirit; a demon.

3. A wicked or malevolent person.

4. A person: a handsome devil; the poor devil.

5. An energetic, mischievous, daring, or clever person.

6. Printing A printer's devil.

7. A device or machine, especially one having teeth or spikes and used for tearing.

8. An outstanding example, especially of something difficult or bad: has a devil of a temper.

9. A severe reprimand or expression of anger: gave me the devil for cutting class.

10. Informal Used as an intensive: Who the devil do you think you are?

tr.v. dev·iled, dev·il·ing, dev·ils or dev·illed or dev·il·ling

1. To season (food) heavily.

2. To annoy, torment, or harass.

3. To tear up (cloth or rags) in a toothed machine.

Idioms:

between the devil and the deep blue sea

Between two equally unacceptable choices.

full of the devil

Very energetic, mischievous, daring, or clever.

give the devil his due

To give credit to a disagreeable or malevolent person.

go to the devil

1. To be unsuccessful; fail.

2. To become depraved.

3. Used in the imperative to express anger or impatience.

play the devil with

To upset or ruin.

the devil take the hindmost

Let each person follow self-interest, leaving others to fare as they may.

the devil to pay

Trouble to be faced as a result of an action: There'll be the devil to pay if you allow the piglets inside the house.

[Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Late Greek diabolos, from Greek, slanderer, from diaballein, to slander : dia-, dia- + ballein, to hurl; see g^welə- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

devil

(ˈdɛvəl)

1. (Theology) theol (often capital) the chief spirit of evil and enemy of God, often represented as the ruler of hell and often depicted as a human figure with horns, cloven hoofs, and tail

2. (Theology) theol one of the subordinate evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief

3. (Judaism) theol one of the subordinate evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief

4. a person or animal regarded as cruel, wicked, or ill-natured

5. a person or animal regarded as unfortunate or wretched: that poor devil was ill for months.

6. a person or animal regarded as clever, daring, mischievous, or energetic

7. informal something difficult or annoying

8. (Christian Churches, other) Christian Science the opposite of truth; an error, lie, or false belief in sin, sickness, and death

9. (in Malaysia) a ghost

10. (Civil Engineering) a portable furnace or brazier, esp one used in road-making or one used by plumbers. Compare salamander⁷

11. (Mechanical Engineering) any of various mechanical devices, usually with teeth, such as a machine for making wooden screws or a rag-tearing machine

12. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) See printer's devil

13. (Law) law (in England) a junior barrister who does work for another in order to gain experience, usually for a half fee

14. (Physical Geography) meteorol a small whirlwind in arid areas that raises dust or sand in a column

15. between the devil and the deep blue sea between equally undesirable alternatives

16. devil of informal (intensifier): a devil of a fine horse.

17. give the devil his due to acknowledge the talent or the success of an opponent or unpleasant person

18. go to the devil

a. to fail or become dissipated

b. (interjection) used to express annoyance with the person causing it

19. like the devil with great speed, determination, etc

20. play the devil with informal to make much worse; upset considerably: the damp plays the devil with my rheumatism.

21. raise the devil

a. to cause a commotion

b. to make a great protest

22. talk of the devil! speak of the devil! (interjection) used when an absent person who has been the subject of conversation appears

23. the devil! (intensifier)

a. used in such phrases as what the devil, where the devil, etc

b. an exclamation of anger, surprise, disgust, etc

24. the devil's own a very difficult or problematic (thing)

25. the devil take the hindmost let the devil take the hindmost look after oneself and leave others to their fate

26. the devil to pay problems or trouble to be faced as a consequence of an action

27. the very devil something very difficult or awkward

vb, -vils, -villing or -villed, -vils, -viling or -viled

28. (Cookery) (tr) to prepare (esp meat, poultry, or fish) by coating with a highly flavoured spiced paste or mixture of condiments before cooking

29. (Textiles) (tr) to tear (rags) with a devil

30. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (intr) to serve as a printer's devil

31. (Tools) (intr) to serve as a printer's devil

32. (Professions) (intr) chiefly Brit to do hackwork, esp for a lawyer or author; perform arduous tasks, often without pay or recognition of one's services

33. (tr) informal US to harass, vex, torment, etc

[Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Greek diabolos enemy, accuser, slanderer, from diaballein, literally: to throw across, hence, to slander]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dev•il

(ˈdɛv əl)

n., v. -iled, -il•ing (esp. Brit.) -illed, -il•ling. n.

a. (sometimes cap.) the supreme spirit of evil; Satan.

b. a subordinate evil spirit at enmity with God.

2. a wicked, cruel person.

3. a clever or mischievous person.

4. a person: The lucky devil won the grand prize.

5. Also called printer's devil. a young worker below the level of apprentice in a printing office.

6. any of various devices, often with projecting teeth.

7. the devil, (used as an expletive or mild oath): What the devil do you mean?

v.t.

8. to annoy; harass.

9. to prepare with hot or savory seasonings.

Idioms:

1. give the devil his due, to acknowledge the accomplishments of someone otherwise considered unworthy.

2. go to the devil, to become depraved.

3. the devil to pay, trouble to be faced as an aftermath.

[before 900; Middle English devel, Old English dēofol < Late Latin diabolus < Greek diábolos Satan (Septuagint, NT), literally, slanderer (n.), slanderous (adj.), derivative of diabállein to assault someone's character, literally, to throw across =dia- dia- + bállein to throw]

Devil

See also demons; evil; god and gods; hell; religion; sin; theology.

adiabolist

a person who denies the existence of the devil.

diabolism

1. belief in or worship of the devil.
2. Theology. an action aided or prompted by the devil; sorcery; witchcraft. — diabolist, n.

diabology, diabolology

1. the study of the devil.
2. devil lore.

Izedism

the beliefs of the Izedis, a Mesopotamian sect said to worship the devil. Also Yezdism, Yezidism. — Izedi, Yezdi, Yezidi, n.

monodiabolism

belief in the existence of only one devil. Cf. polydiabolism.

Pan-Satanism

a Gnostic doctrine that the material world expresses the personality of Satan.

polydiabolism

the belief that many devils exist. Cf. monodiabolism.

Satanism

1. the worship of Satan or evil powers.
2. a parody of Christian ceremonies in which the devil is worshiped. — Satanist, n.

Satanophany

the appearance of Satan on earth.

Yezdism, Yezidism

Izedism.

devil

Past participle: devilled
Gerund: devilling

Imperative
devil
devil

Present
I devil
you devil
he/she/it devils
we devil
you devil
they devil

Preterite
I devilled
you devilled
he/she/it devilled
we devilled
you devilled
they devilled

Present Continuous
I am devilling
you are devilling
he/she/it is devilling
we are devilling
you are devilling
they are devilling

Present Perfect
I have devilled
you have devilled
he/she/it has devilled
we have devilled
you have devilled
they have devilled

Past Continuous
I was devilling
you were devilling
he/she/it was devilling
we were devilling
you were devilling
they were devilling

Past Perfect
I had devilled
you had devilled
he/she/it had devilled
we had devilled
you had devilled
they had devilled

Future
I will devil
you will devil
he/she/it will devil
we will devil
you will devil
they will devil

Future Perfect
I will have devilled
you will have devilled
he/she/it will have devilled
we will have devilled
you will have devilled
they will have devilled

Future Continuous
I will be devilling
you will be devilling
he/she/it will be devilling
we will be devilling
you will be devilling
they will be devilling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been devilling
you have been devilling
he/she/it has been devilling
we have been devilling
you have been devilling
they have been devilling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been devilling
you will have been devilling
he/she/it will have been devilling
we will have been devilling
you will have been devilling
they will have been devilling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been devilling
you had been devilling
he/she/it had been devilling
we had been devilling
you had been devilling
they had been devilling

Conditional
I would devil
you would devil
he/she/it would devil
we would devil
you would devil
they would devil

Past Conditional
I would have devilled
you would have devilled
he/she/it would have devilled
we would have devilled
you would have devilled
they would have devilled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

devil

To coat food with a mixture of highly seasoned ingredients (e.g. mustard or hot spices).

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	Devil - (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell Beelzebub, Lucifer, Old Nick, Prince of Darkness, Satan, the Tempter faith, religion, religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" Mohammedanism, Muhammadanism, Muslimism, Islam, Islamism - the monotheistic religious system of Muslims founded in Arabia in the 7th century and based on the teachings of Muhammad as laid down in the Koran; "Islam is a complete way of life, not a Sunday religion"; "the term Muhammadanism is offensive to Muslims who believe that Allah, not Muhammad, founded their religion"
	2.	devil - an evil supernatural being daemon, daimon, demon, fiend evil spirit - a spirit tending to cause harm incubus - a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women succuba, succubus - a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men dibbuk, dybbuk - (Jewish folklore) a demon that enters the body of a living person and controls that body's behavior
	3.	devil - a word used in exclamations of confusion; "what the devil"; "the deuce with it"; "the dickens you say" dickens, deuce exclaiming, exclamation - an abrupt excited utterance; "she gave an exclamation of delight"; "there was much exclaiming over it"
	4.	devil - a rowdy or mischievous person (usually a young man); "he chased the young hellions out of his yard" hellion, heller bad hat, mischief-maker, trouble maker, troublemaker, troubler - someone who deliberately stirs up trouble
	5.	devil - a cruel wicked and inhuman person fiend, ogre, demon, monster disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable demoniac - someone who acts as if possessed by a demon
Verb	1.	devil - cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves" annoy, gravel, irritate, nark, rile, vex, nettle, rag, bother, chafe, get at, get to get under one's skin, get - irritate; "Her childish behavior really get to me"; "His lying really gets me" eat into, rankle, grate, fret - gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The injustice rankled her"; "his resentment festered" chafe - feel extreme irritation or anger; "He was chafing at her suggestion that he stay at home while she went on a vacation" peeve - cause to be annoyed, irritated, or resentful ruffle - trouble or vex; "ruffle somebody's composure" fret - cause annoyance in beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke - annoy continually or chronically; "He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked"; "This man harasses his female co-workers" antagonize, antagonise - provoke the hostility of; "Don't antagonize your boss" displease - give displeasure to
	2.	devil - coat or stuff with a spicy paste; "devilled eggs" cookery, cooking, preparation - the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation of meals to his wife" ready, prepare, cook, fix, make - prepare for eating by applying heat; "Cook me dinner, please"; "can you make me an omelette?"; "fix breakfast for the guests, please"

devil

noun

1. evil spirit, demon, fiend, ghoul, hellhound the image of devils with horns and cloven hoofs

2. brute, monster, savage, beast, villain, rogue, barbarian, fiend, terror, swine, ogre the savage devils who mugged a helpless old woman

3. person, individual, soul, creature, thing, human being, beggar I feel sorry for the poor devil who marries you.

4. scamp, monkey (informal), rogue, imp, rascal, tyke (informal), scoundrel, scallywag (informal), mischief-maker, whippersnapper, toerag (slang), pickle (Brit. informal) You cheeky little devil!

the Devil Satan, Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, Old One, Deuce, Old Gentleman (informal), Lord of the Flies, Old Harry (informal), Mephistopheles, Evil One, Beelzebub, Old Nick (informal), Mephisto, Belial, Clootie (Scot.), deil (Scot.), Apollyon, Old Scratch (informal), Foul Fiend, Wicked One, archfiend, Old Hornie (informal), Abbadon the eternal conflict between God and the Devil

Quotations
"If the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness" [Fyodor Dostoevsky The Brothers Karamazov]
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Bible: Isaiah
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" Bible: I Peter
"The serpent subtlest beast of all the field,"
"Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes"
"And hairy mane terrific" [John Milton Paradise Lost]

Proverbs
"Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know"
"The devil looks after his own"
"He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon"
"Talk of the devil, and he shall appear"

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

devil

noun

1. A perversely bad, cruel, or wicked person:

archfiend, beast, fiend, ghoul, monster, ogre, tiger, vampire.

2. One who causes minor trouble or damage:

imp, mischief, prankster, rascal, rogue, scamp.

Informal: cutup.

Translations

شَخْص سَيِّئشَخْص مِسْكينشَيْطانشَيْطَانشَيْطان، شَخْص شِرّير

ďábeldémonsatanubožákzlý člověk

djævelsatanstakkel

Teufel Satan

διάβολος εξαποδώ ζιζάνιο δαίμονας

demonio diablo pobre diablo pobrecito

paholainenpaskiainenperkelepippuroidapiru

diable type démon

vrag

ördögszegény ördög

djöfull; óòokkidjöfullinnóòokki, mannfÿlavesalingur

diavolo tipo cuocere in salsa piccante demonio diavoletto

悪魔

악마

nevidonastikras velniasvelnias

ļaunais garsNabadziņš!sātanstīrais sliņķistīrais velns

duivelduvelhard noot peperen

hudičvrag

djävulDjävulenSatan

ภูต

şeytan zavallıAllahın belâsı kimsebiçare hain

ma quỷ

魔鬼可怜的家伙恶棍恶鬼

devil

[ˈdevl]

A. N

1. (= evil spirit) → demonio m, diablo m
the Devil → el Diablo
go to the devil! → ¡vete al diablo!, ¡vete a la porra! (Sp)
the devil take it! (o.f.) → ¡que se lo lleve el diablo!
devils on horseback ciruelas pasas envueltas en beicon servidas sobre pan tostado
to be between the devil and the deep blue sea → estar entre la espada y la pared
(to) give the devil his due → ser justo hasta con el diablo
to play the devil with → arruinar, estropear
to play (the) devil's advocate → hacer de abogado del diablo
to raise the devil → armar la gorda
speak or talk of the devil! → hablando del rey de Roma (por la puerta asoma)
better the devil you know → vale más lo malo conocido que lo bueno por conocer
the devil finds work for idle hands → cuando el diablo no tiene que hacer con el rabo mata moscas
see also luck

2. (= person) → demonio m
poor devil → pobre diablo, pobrecito/a m/f
go on, be a devil! → ¡anda, atrévete or lánzate!
you little devil! → ¡qué diablillo or malo eres!

3. (as intensifier) the devil it is! → ¡qué demonio!
a devil of a noise → un ruido de todos los demonios
it was the devil of a job to do! → ¡menudo trabajo que (me) costó!
we had the devil of a job or the devil's own job to find it → nos costó horrores encontrarlo
I'm in the devil of a mess → estoy en un lío tremendo
to work/run like the devil → trabajar/correr como un descosido
how/what/why/who the devil ...? → ¿cómo/qué/por qué/quién demonios ...?
there will be the devil to pay → esto va a costar caro

4. (Jur) → aprendiz m (de abogado) (Typ) → aprendiz m de imprenta

B. VT

1. [+ meat] → asar con mucho picante

2. (US) → fastidiar

C. VI to devil for (Jur) → trabajar de aprendiz para

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

devil

[ˈdɛv^əl] n

(= person) → diable m
poor devil! → pauvre diable!
lucky devil! → sacré veinard!
go on, be a devil! → laisse-toi tenter!

(= evil spirit) → démon m
better the devil you know, better the devil you know than the devil you don't know (mainly British) → il vaut mieux un danger qu'on connaît qu'un danger qu'on ne connaît pas
the devil, the Devil (= Satan) → le Diable
talk of the devil!, speak of the devil! (British) → quand on parle du loup!
the devil take the hindmost → sauve qui peut
to be between the devil and the deep blue sea → être pris entre l'enclume et le marteau
to sell one's soul to the devil → vendre son âme au diable

(in exclamations) what the devil (= what on earth) → que diable
how the devil (= how on earth) → comment diable
why the devil (= why on earth) → pourquoi diable

(used as intensifier) a devil of a job (= very difficult task) → un casse-tête
to have the devil's own job doing sth, to have a devil of a job doing sth (= great difficulty) → avoir un mal de chien à faire qch, avoir un mal fou à faire qch
to work like the devil (= very hard) → travailler comme une bête
to run like the devil (= very fast) → courir comme un fou

devil

(= evil spirit) → Teufel m

(inf: = person, child) → Teufel m (inf); (= object, screw etc) → Plage f; (= daring person) → Teufelskerl m; you poor devil! → (du) armer Teufel!; you little devil! → du kleiner Satansbraten!; shall I have another? — go on, be a devil → soll ich noch einen trinken etc? — los, nur zu, riskiers! (inf); be a devil and say yes → riskier mal was und sag ja or Ja

(inf, as intensifier) I had a devil of a job getting here → es war verdammt schwierig, hierherzukommen (inf); he had a devil of a time selling his car → er hatte schreckliche Schwierigkeiten, sein Auto zu verkaufen; I live a devil of a long way away → ich wohne verdammt weit weg; the devil of it is … → das Ärgerliche daran ist … (inf); how/what/why/who the devil …? → wie/was/warum/wer zum Teufel or in drei Teufels Namen …?; to work like the devil → wie ein Pferd schuften (inf); to run/drive like the devil → wie ein geölter Blitz sausen/fahren (inf); there will be the devil to pay → das dicke Ende kommt nach

(in expressions) (to be) between the Devil and the deep blue sea → (sich) in einer Zwickmühle (befinden); go to the devil! (inf) → scher dich zum Teufel! (inf); the devil take him/it (old inf) → der Teufel soll ihn/es holen (old inf), → hols der Teufel (inf); the devil finds work for idle hands (Prov) → Müßiggang ist aller Laster Anfang (Prov); he has the devil in him today → ihn reitet heute der Teufel; to sell one’s soul to the devil → dem Teufel seine Seele verkaufen; speak or talk (Brit) of the devil! → wenn man vom Teufel spricht!; give the devil his due → das muss der Neid ihm lassen; to have the devil’s own luck or the luck of the devil (inf) → ein Schweineglück (inf) → or unverschämtes Glück haben; better the devil you know (than the devil you don’t) (prov) → von zwei Übeln wählt man besser das, was man schon kennt; (the) devil take the hindmost → den Letzten beißen die Hunde (Prov)

vi (Jur, Typ, Liter etc) → Handlangerdienste tun

vt (Cook) kidneys → scharf gewürzt grillen

devil

devil’s advocate

n → des Teufels Advokat m, → Advocatus Diaboli m; to play devil → den Advocatus Diaboli spielen

devil’s food cake

n (esp US) → schwere Schokoladentorte

devils-on-horseback

pl (Cook) mit Speckscheiben umwickelte Backpflaumen auf Toast

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

devil

[ˈdɛvl] n

a. (evil spirit) → diavolo
the Devil → il Diavolo, il Demonio

b. (fam) (person) → diavolo
poor devil → povero diavolo!
be a devil! → fai uno strappo!
you little devil! → monellaccio!
she is a devil to work for → lavorare per lei è un inferno

c. (fam) (as intensifier) it's the devil of a job → è un lavoraccio
he had the devil of a job to find it → ha sudato sette camicie per trovarlo
I'm in the devil of a mess → sono in un pasticcio del diavolo
to work/run like the devil → lavorare/correre come un dannato
how/what/who the devil ...? → come/che/chi diavolo...?
there will be the devil to pay → saranno guai

d. (phrases.) between the devil and the deep blue sea → tra Scilla e Cariddi
go to the devil! (fam) → vai al diavolo!
speak or talk of the devil! (fam) → lupus in fabula!, si parla del diavolo...
(to) give the devil his due ... → bisogna riconoscerglielo..., siamo giusti...

devil

(ˈdevl) noun

1. the spirit of evil; Satan. He does not worship God – he worships the Devil.

2. any evil or wicked spirit or person. That woman is a devil!

3. a person who is bad or disapproved of. She's a lazy devil.

4. an unfortunate person for whom one feels pity. Poor devils! I feel really sorry for them.

devil

→ شَيْطَان ďábel djævel Teufel διάβολος demonio paholainen diable vrag diavolo 悪魔 악마 duivel djevel diabeł diabo дьявол djävul ภูต şeytan ma quỷ 魔鬼