devil

The word “devil” means in Christian and Jewish tradition, the supreme evil spirit; Satan. In plain terms, the personification of evil in religious belief, or loosely, a wicked or naughty person; the verb can also mean to spice up food or to do unpaid junior legal/writing work.

“Devil” is pronounced DEH-vuhl (/ˈdɛvəl/ in IPA).

Here is “devil” used in a sentence: “The painting shows the devil tempting a monk in the desert.”

Depending on how it is used, “devil” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “devil” comes from Latin. From Old English dēofol, borrowed from Latin diabolus, from Greek diábolos, "slanderer" — literally "one who throws something across" (in someone's path).

“Devil” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Devil” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: in Christian and Jewish tradition, the supreme evil spirit; Satan.

"Devil" is usually capitalized as "the Devil" when it names the supreme evil spirit, Satan, in Christian and Jewish tradition. It stays lowercase when it means a wicked, cruel, or mischievous person, as in "you little devil."

In many traditions "the Devil" refers to one supreme evil being, Satan, whereas "demon" refers to any of the many lesser evil spirits. So a demon is one of many, while the Devil is singular and supreme.

Yes. Although it names an evil spirit or a cruel person, "devil" is also used with warmth or amusement, especially about a child, as in "the cheeky little devil." Tone and context signal whether it is critical or affectionate.

English has many idioms with "devil," such as "speak of the devil," "devil's advocate," "between the devil and the deep blue sea," and "the devil is in the detail." These are figurative and rarely refer to an actual evil spirit.