Devil \Dev"il\, n. [AS. de['o]fol, de['o]ful; akin to G. ?eufel,
Goth. diaba['u]lus; all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. ? the
devil, the slanderer, fr. ? to slander, calumniate, orig., to
throw across; ? across + ? to throw, let fall, fall; cf. Skr.
gal to fall. Cf. Diabolic.]
1. The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and
spiritual of mankind.
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[Jesus] being forty days tempted of the devil.
--Luke iv. 2.
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That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world. --Rev. xii. 9.
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2. An evil spirit; a demon.
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A dumb man possessed with a devil. --Matt. ix.
32.
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3. A very wicked person; hence, any great evil. "That devil
Glendower." "The devil drunkenness." --Shak.
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Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a
devil? --John vi. 70.
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4. An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or,
ironically, of negation. [Low]
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The devil a puritan that he is, . . . but a
timepleaser. --Shak.
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The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare,
But wonder how the devil they got there. --Pope.
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5. (Cookery) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and
excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.
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Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting
oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron. --Sir
W. Scott.
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6. (Manuf.) A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton,
etc.
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Blue devils. See under Blue.
Cartesian devil. See under Cartesian.
Devil bird (Zool.), one of two or more South African drongo
shrikes (Edolius retifer, and Edolius remifer),
believed by the natives to be connected with sorcery.
Devil may care, reckless, defiant of authority; -- used
adjectively. --Longfellow.
Devil's apron (Bot.), the large kelp (Laminaria
saccharina, and Laminaria longicruris) of the Atlantic
ocean, having a blackish, leathery expansion, shaped
somewhat like an apron.
Devil's coachhorse. (Zool.)
(a) The black rove beetle (Ocypus olens). [Eng.]
(b) A large, predacious, hemipterous insect (Prionotus
cristatus); the wheel bug. [U.S.]
Devil's darning-needle. (Zool.) See under Darn, v. t.
Devil's fingers, Devil's hand (Zool.), the common British
starfish (Asterias rubens); -- also applied to a sponge
with stout branches. [Prov. Eng., Irish & Scot.]
Devil's riding-horse (Zool.), the American mantis (Mantis
Carolina).
The Devil's tattoo, a drumming with the fingers or feet.
"Jack played the Devil's tattoo on the door with his boot
heels." --F. Hardman (Blackw. Mag.).
Devil worship, worship of the power of evil; -- still
practiced by barbarians who believe that the good and evil
forces of nature are of equal power.
Printer's devil, the youngest apprentice in a printing
office, who runs on errands, does dirty work (as washing
the ink rollers and sweeping), etc. "Without fearing the
printer's devil or the sheriff's officer." --Macaulay.
Tasmanian devil (Zool.), a very savage carnivorous
marsupial of Tasmania (Dasyurus ursinus syn. Diabolus
ursinus).
To play devil with, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low]
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