Etymograph

English

devilry

Devilry comes from Middle English develrye ‘a demonic influence’, from devel ‘a devil’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek διάβολος.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιάβολος1‘The Devil’
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*diubul1‘devil’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150dēofol1‘a demon, devil’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500devel2‘a devil’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500develrye3‘a demonic influence’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2007devilry3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English devel
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Middle English develrye
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English devilry
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Arianne Cohen, Colleen Kinder: “Their newfound devilry : prank-calling local businesses.”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιάβολοςWiktionary, Middle English devel‘The Devil’
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*diubulWiktionary, Middle English devel‘devil’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150dēofolWiktionary, Middle English devel‘a demon, devil’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500develWiktionary, Middle English develrye‘a devil’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500develryeWiktionary, English devilry‘a demonic influence’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2007devilryWiktionary, English devilry. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Arianne Cohen, Colleen Kinder: “Their newfound devilry : prank-calling local businesses.”

Formed from devil + -ry

Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’

…

Latin diabolus

Proto-West Germanic *diubul

Old English dēofol ‘a demon, devil’

Middle English devil

English devil

Linked words

through Ancient Greek διάβολος ‘The Devil’

diablo, diabolic, 10 more

Today it means

noun Mischief.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “devilry”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Middle English devel, Middle English develrye. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek διάβολος / devilry

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