devil (English)

Where does "devil" come from?

The word 'devil' traces its origins back to the Ancient Greek 'diábolos,' which literally meant 'one who throws across' or 'slanderer,' formed from the words for 'through' and 'to throw.' This term was adopted into Latin as 'diabolus' before evolving through Proto-West Germanic and Old English into the modern English term. Along the way, its meaning shifted from a general descriptor for a false accuser to the specific theological title for the personification of evil.

Full etymology tree

devil (English), 'The chief devil; Satan.'
- inherited devel (Middle English), 'Satan, Lucifer'
  - inherited dēofol (Old English), 'the Devil, Satan'
    - inherited *diubul (Proto-West Germanic), 'devil'
      - learned borrowing diabolus (Latin), 'devil'
        learned borrowing διάβολος (diábolos) (Ancient Greek), 'slanderous; libellous'
        compound διά (diá) (Ancient Greek), '[with genitive]'
        compound βάλλω (bállō) (Ancient Greek), 'to throw, cast, hurl'
        inherited *gʷəlnō (Proto-Hellenic)
        inherited *gʷl̥-ne-h₁- (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *gʷelH- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing'
    - influence diabolus (Latin), 'devil'
      - learned borrowing διάβολος (diábolos) (Ancient Greek), 'slanderous; libellous'
        compound διά (diá) (Ancient Greek), '[with genitive]'
        compound βάλλω (bállō) (Ancient Greek), 'to throw, cast, hurl'
        inherited *gʷəlnō (Proto-Hellenic)
        inherited *gʷl̥-ne-h₁- (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *gʷelH- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing'

Direct ancestors

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris