| 释义 |
▪ I. evil, a. and n.|ˈiːv(ə)l|
Forms: 1–2 yfel (in inflexions yf(e)l-), (2–4 ifel, 2 efel, yfell, 3 ywel(l, 2–3 ufel, 2–4 uvel(e, 2–5 ivel, (3 ȝevel, 4 ivil), 3–6 evel(l(e, (5 ewelle, hevelle, 6 ewil, yell), 4–6 evill(e, -yl(l(e, yvel(l(e, (6 yevill), 4– evil.
[ME. uvel (ü), OE. yfel = OS. uƀil, OFris., MDu. evel (Du. euvel), OHG. ubil, upil (Ger. übel), Goth. ubils:—OTeut. *uƀilo-z; usually referred to the root of up, over; on this view the primary sense would be either ‘exceeding due measure’ or ‘overstepping proper limits’.
The form evel, whence the mod. form descends, appears in ME. first as west midland and Kentish, but in 15th c. had become general. The conditions under which early M.E. |i| or |y| became |eː|, the antecedent of mod.Eng. |iː|, are not clearly determined; the present word and weevil seem to be the only examples in which this change was other than local; obs. and dial. instances are yeve = ‘give’, leve = ‘live’, easle. (Other apparent examples are due to OE. forms with eo, resulting from u- or o- umlaut.)]
A. adj. The antithesis of good in all its principal senses.
In OE., as in all the other early Teut. langs. exc. Scandinavian, this word is the most comprehensive adjectival expression of disapproval, dislike, or disparagement. In mod. colloquial Eng. it is little used, such currency as it has being due to literary influence. In quite familiar speech the adj. is commonly superseded by bad; the n. is somewhat more frequent, but chiefly in the widest senses, the more specific senses being expressed by other words, as harm, injury, misfortune, disease, etc.
I. Bad in a positive sense.
1. Morally depraved, bad, wicked, vicious. Also absol. Obs. as applied to persons.
971Blickl. Hom. 37 We sceolan..ure heortan clænsian from yflum ᵹeþohtum. Ibid. 161 Hi cyningum & yfelum ricum ealdormannum wiþstandan mihtan. c1200Ormin 1742 To bærnenn all þatt ifell iss Aweȝȝ inn hise þeowwess. c1340Cursor M. 8106 (Fairf.) Lothe is Eville mannys soule & body boþe. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xv. cxvii. (1495) 532 Pentapol..hathe that name of 5 cytees of euel men that were dystroyed wyth fyre of heuen. c1440Gesta Rom. x. 31 (Harl. MS.) Ivel men, þe which neyþer lovith god, neyþer hire neghebowre. 1526Tindale Matt. xxi. 41 He will cruellye destroye those evyll persons. 1584D. Powel tr. Lloyd's Cambria 16 Sigebert..for his Euill behaviour was expelled. 1611Bible Gen. viii. 21 The imagination of mans heart is euil from his youth. 1794Coleridge Relig. Musings Wks. 1847 I. 94 She..from the dark embrace all evil things Brought forth and nurtured: mitred Atheism! 1817W. Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1156 Imputing to a person an evil inclination. 1871Smiles Charac. i. (1876) 10 Good deeds act and react on the doers of them; and so do evil.
absol.c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 23 Alle men shullen cume to libben echeliche..þe gode on eche blisse..þ e uuele on eche wowe. c1300Cursor M. 25249 (Cott. Galba MS.) On domesday..þe euill sall fra þe gude be drawn. 1827Pollok Course T. x. 215 To the evil..Eternal recompense of shame and woe.
2. Doing or tending to do harm; hurtful, mischievous, prejudicial. Of advice, etc.: Misleading. Of an omen, etc.: Boding ill.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him al þa hebreisce men mid godere and summe mid ufele þeonke. c1205Lay. 2541 Ah þa heora fader wes dæd Þe sunen duden vuelne [c 1275 vuele] ræd. a1225Ancr. R. 52 Is hit so ouer vuel uor te toten utward? 1297R. Glouc. (1724) 593 Thurghe evelle conceille was slayne..the Erle of Arundelle. c1340Cursor M. 4635 (Fairf.) He prisoned was wiþ euel rede. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 330 Evyl ensaumple of opyn synne. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 41 It is not yvel to putte a litil opium to þe oile of þe rosis. a1400–50Alexander 703 Þe euyll sterne of Ercules how egirly it soroȝes. c1420Chron. Vilod. 808 Hym shulnot harme non hevelle thyng. c1449Pecock Repr. 4 Gouernauncis of the clergie whiche summe of the comoun peple..iugen to be yuele. 1530Palsgr. 217/2 Evyll tourne, maluais tour. 1584Powell tr. Lloyd's Cambria 99 King Edward by Euill counsel banished Algar. 1587L. Mascall Govt. Cattle, Oxen (1627) 36 Yeugh is euill for cattell to eate. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, v. vi. 44 The Owle shriek'd at thy birth, an euill signe. 1611Bible Gen. xxxvii. 20 Some euill beast hath deuoured him. a1649Drummond of Hawthornden Wks. 32 Weigh not how we, Evil to our selves, against Thy laws rebell. 1655Culpepper Riverius i. xvi. 57 In a great Headach it is evil to have the outward parts cold. 1846Ruskin Mod. Paint. II. ii. ii. xv. §5 The neglect of art..has been of evil consequence to the Christian world. 1868J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. I. 403 The evil system of pluralities.
3. Uses partaking of senses 1 and 2:
a. evil will: depraved intention or purpose; also, desire for another's harm; = ill-will. rare in mod. use.
c897K. ælfred Gregory's Past. xxi. 157 He of yfelum willan ne ᵹesyngað. a1300Cursor M. 1065 (Cott.) For caym gaf him wit iuel will. 1340Ayenb. 66 Þe dyeuel beginþ þet uer of tyene and euel wyl uor to becleppe. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 121 For enuye and yuel wille is yuel to defye. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxix. 142 The duke..pardoned them all his yuell wyll. 1540Coverdale Fruitf. Less. iii. Wks. (Parker Soc.) I. 370 Many afflictions, much evil-will..shall happen unto you. 1563Homilies ii. Rogat. Week iii. (1859) 492 Cast we off all malice & all evil will. 1598R. Grenewey Tacitus' Ann. iii. ii. (1622) 65 He [Piso] increased the euill will of the people towards him.
b. evil angel, spirit, etc. Also, the evil one († Sc. the evil man): the Devil.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xiv. 26 Forðon yfel wiht is. 1555Eden Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.) 27 Sundrie illusions of euyl spirites. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. iv. iii. 282 Bru. Speake to me, what thou art. Ghost. Thy euill Spirit, Brutus? 1611Bible Luke vii. 21 Hee cured many..of euill spirits. 1648Acts Gen. Assemb. 463 (Jam.) Whilest some fell asleep, and were carelesse..the evil man brought in prelacy. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 463 That space the Evil one abstracted stood From his own evil. 1681–6J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 347 The Ministry of the evil Angels to him. 1727De Foe Syst. Magic i. i. (1840) 24 They did not suppose those wise men..had an evil spirit. 1825Lytton Zicci 2 The Evil Spirit is pulling you towards him. 1841Lane Arab. Nts. I. 117 Sakhr was an evil Jinnee. 1881Bible (Revised) Matt. vi. 13 Deliver us from the evil one.
c. Of repute or estimation: Unfavourable. evil tongue: a malicious or slanderous speaker. arch.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 20 Of him in holy kirke men said euelle sawe. 1382Wyclif 2 Cor. vi. 8 By yuel fame and good fame. c1450Myre 58 Wymmones serues thow moste forsake, Of euele fame leste they the make. 1535Coverdale Ecclus. xxviii. 19 Wel is him that is kepte from an euell tonge. 1611Bible Deut. xxii. 19 He hath brought vp an euill name vpon a virgine of Israel. a1891Mod. Newspaper, The defendant was arrested in a house of evil repute.
4. Causing discomfort, pain, or trouble; unpleasant, offensive, disagreeable; troublesome, painful.
a1131O.E. Chron. an. 1124 Se king let hine don on ifele bendas. 1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iv. (1586) 161 The berrie of..the wilde Vine..the evill taste wherof will cause them to loth Grapes. 1578Lyte Dodoens i. lxxxviii. 130 The herbe..is of a very evill and strong stincking savour. 1690Locke Hum. Und. ii. xx. (1695) 121 We name that Evil, which is apt to produce or increase any Pain, or diminish any Pleasure in us. 1850Tennyson In Mem. lv, Are God and Nature then at strife That Nature lends such evil dreams?
†b. Hard, difficult. Const. to with inf. Obs.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 147 Hit is uuel to understonden on hwulche wise Mon mei him solf forsake. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 63 Hony is yuel to defye and engleymeth þe mawe. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxxi. 286 It was yuell mountyng of yt hyll. 1551Turner Herbal i. A iv b, Astriction..is ether very euyll to be founde, or els there is none to be founde at all.
†5. Of conditions, fortune, etc., also (rarely) of persons: Unfortunate, miserable, wretched. evil health: misfortune (see health). Obs.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 33 Hwi beo we uule on þisse wrecche world. a1300Floriz & Bl. 441 Hi beden God ȝiue him uuel fin. c1340Cursor M. 7320 (Trin.) Þei aske anoþer kyng þen me Euel hele þe tyme shul þei se. c1450Merlin i. 20 Thow toldest the person that thow were euel thereon. 1475Caxton Jason 30 Thenne cam agaynst him the king of Poulane, but that was to his euill helthe. c1500Melusine 78 He..after the dede & euylhap..fledd with all from þis land. 1530Palsgr. 217/2 Evyll lucke, malevr. 1611Bible Ex. v. 19 The officers..did see that they were in euill case. 1614Raleigh Hist. World v. iii. §15 So beaten and yn such euill plight.
b. Of periods of time: Characterized by misfortune or suffering, unlucky, disastrous. evil May-day: see May-day1.
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. ix. 120 Wastoures and wrecches out of wedloke..Conceyued ben in yuel tyme. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iii. 107 Evyll daye gyve you, god. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 780 Her rash hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the Fruit. 1738Wesley Psalms iv, Help me in my Evil Day. 1806–7J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) iv. Introd., In an evil hour I..changed my lodgings. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 280 In times which might by Englishmen be justly called evil times. 1878R. B. Smith Carthage 186 The Boii..determined to anticipate the evil day.
6. evil eye. (Phrases, to bear, cast, look with, an evil eye.)
a. A look of ill-will.
c1000Liber Scintillarum xxvii. (1889) 102 Unclænnyss eage yfel [oculus malus] withersacung..gemænsumiaþ man. 1382Wyclif Mark vii. 22 Fro withynne, of the herte of men comen..vnchastite, yuel yȝe, blasphemyes. 1526–34Tindale Matt. xx. 15 Ys thyne eye evyll because I am good. 1611Bible Mark vii. 22 Lasciuiousnesse, an euill eye [Rev. V. an evil eye], blasphemie. a1639W. Whately Prototypes i. xx. (1640) 202 Why should wee..beare an evill eye towards them? 1645Quarles Sol. Recant x. 79 Let not thine eyes be evill. 1704Addison Italy (1733) 58 They look with an evil eye upon Leghorne. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 394 Patriotic citizens will cast an evil eye upon you as a subverter of the laws.
b. A malicious or envious look which, in popular belief, had the power of doing material harm; also, the faculty, superstitiously ascribed to certain individuals, of inflicting injury by a look. Cf. Fr. mauvais œil, It. malocchio.
1796Statist. Acc. Scot. XVIII. 123 The less informed..are afraid of their [old Women's] evil Eye among the cattle. 1797J. Dallaway Acc. Constantinople 391 Nothing can exceed the superstition of the Turks respecting the Evil Eye of an enemy or infidel. 1834Lytton Pompeii i. iii, He certainly possesses the gift of the evil eye. 1871Reade Terrible Tempt. xxxiii, Or if you didn't kill him, you'd cast the evil eye on him. 1879G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Wood-bk. s.v. Evil, 'E's a nasty downlookin' fellow—looks as if 'e could cast a nev'l-eye upon yo'.
II. Bad in a privative sense: Not good.
†7.
a. Of an animal or vegetable growth or product, as a tree, fruit, the body, ‘humours’: Unsound, corrupt. Of a member or organ: Diseased. to have an evil head: to be insane.
b. Of air, diet, water: Wanting in the essentials of healthy nutrition; unwholesome. Obs.
c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. vii. 17 ælc yfel treow byrþ yfele wæstmas. c1000Sax. Leechd. II. 178 Gif of þære wambe anre þa yfelan wætan cumen. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 183 Gief þe licame beð euel, loð is heo þe sowle. c1320Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1878 Iuel blod was hire withinne. 1382Wyclif Matt. vii. 18 A good tree may nat make yuel fruytis, nether an yuel tree make good fruytis. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 38 Yvel fleisch growiþ in a wounde. Ibid. 80 If..þe eir be yvel, þe sike man schal be chaungid into good eyr. a1450Knt. de la Tour (1868) 20 A gentille man..was riotous..and hadd an evelle hede [Fr. male teste]. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xviii. 24 Beastis they..myght eate at their pleasure without bredde, whiche was an euyll dyette. 1555Latimer in Foxe A. & M. (1563) 1372/2, I am an old man and haue a verye euill backe. 1591F. Sparry tr. Cattan's Geomancie 199 I iudged that the horse had an euill foote and was worth nothing. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, i. i. 139 O he hath kept an euill Diet long. 1600Hakluyt Voy. (1810) III. 341 The water whereof was so evill. 1611Bible Jer. xxiv. 3 Very euill [figs] that cannot be eaten, they are so euill.
†8. Inferior in quality, constitution, condition or appearance; poor, unsatisfactory, defective. Obs.
971Blickl. Hom. 197 Heo [seo cirice] is eac on onsyne utan yfeles heowes. c1300Cursor M. 21805 (Edin.) Þis tale queþir it be iuil or gode I fande it writin. 13..tr. Leges Burgorum c. 63 in Sc. Stat. I. 345 And gif scho makis ivil ale and dois agane þe custume of þe toune..scho sall gif til hir mercyment viii s or..be put on þe kukstule. c1400Rom. Rose 4459 Whanne she wole make A fulle good silogisme..aftirward ther shal in deede Folwe an evelle conclusioun. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. B.) 8 Euyle maners beþ folwynge þe lyknesse of an yvele complexioun. 1561in T. Thomson Inventories 141 Item, ane evill litle burdclaith of grene. 1576Grindal Let. Ld. Burleigh Wks. (1843) 392, I pray your lordship, appoint when you come to take an evil dinner with me. 1583Babington Commandm. i. (1637) 7 If a man cut with an evill knife, he is the cause of cutting, but not of evill cutting. 1592in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. ix. 229 Vayns..gude to be opynd for..euyll sight. 1609Skene Reg. Maj. 142.
†b. Of a workman, work, etc.: Unskilful. Obs.
1513More Rich. III (1883) 6 None euill captaine was hee in the warre. 1530Palsgr. 416/1, I acloye with a nayle, as an yvell smythe dothe an horse foote. 1561T. Norton Calvin's Inst. iv. 85 He is an euell pyper but a good fiddler. 1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 36 An excellent good seede for an evyll husbande. 1799S. Freeman Town Off. 146 Forfeit every hide marred or hurt by his evil workmanship.
B. n.
I. The adj. used absol. That which is evil.
1. a. In the widest sense: That which is the reverse of good; whatever is censurable, mischievous, or undesirable. Also with adj.: moral evil, physical evil.
c1340Cursor M. 939 (Fairf.) Y made eville & good to you knowen. 1382Wyclif Gen. iii. 5 Ȝe shul ben as Goddis, knowynge good and yuel. 1559Bury Wills (1850) 153, I, Sir Willm Paynter..wt all vnderstanding of good and evell, make this my last will. 1611Bible Gen. iii. 5. 1732 Pope Ess. Man i. 292 All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee..All partial Evil, universal Good. 1759Johnson Idler No. 89 ⁋4 Almost all the moral good which is left among us, is the apparent effect of physical evil. 1819Pantologia s.v., The most serious difficulty lies in accounting for the permission of moral evil or guilt. 1846Trench Mirac. xviii. (1862) 295 They [the Scriptures] ever recognize the reality of evil. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 180 Evil is of two sorts, evil of sin, and evil of punishment. 1869J. Martineau Ess. II. 42 Moral evil is a broad black fact. 1878Tait & Stewart Unseen Univ. vii. 269 The greatest of all mysteries—the origin of evil.
b. What is morally evil; sin, wickedness.
c1040Rule St. Benet (Logeman) 3 Gecyr from yfele & do god. a1175Cott. Hom. 219 Þat teonðe werod abreað, and awende on yfele. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 11 An wereȝed gost..him aure tacheð to ufele. 1413Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xxv. (1483) 71 To..chesen the good fro euylle. 1596Raleigh in Four C. Eng. Lett. 37 Converting badd into yevill and yevill in worse. 1611Bible Prov. iii. 7 Feare the Lord, and depart from euill.
c. What is mischievous, painful, or disastrous.
c850Bede's Death-song in Sweet O.E. Texts 149 To ymbhycgannae..huaet his gastae, godaes aeththa yflaes aefter deothdaeᵹe doemid uueorthae. 971Blickl. Hom. 115 Nu is æᵹhwonon yfel and sleᵹe. 1154O.E. Chron. an. 1135 Al unfrið, & yfel, & ræflac. c1250Gen. & Ex. 788 Ðat ywel him sulde nunmor deren. a1300Cursor M. 7949 (Cott.) Iuel he sal apon þe rais. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 249 Ȝelde to noo man yvel for yvel. a1400–50Alexander 1699 Depely þam playnt, Quat erroure of þis Emperoure & euill þai suffird. c1450Nominale in Wr.-Wülcker 709 Morbosus, full of ewylle. 1611Bible Job ii. 10 Shall wee receiue good at the hand of God, and shall wee not receiue euil? 1789Bentham Princ. Legisl. xviii. §17 note, It was the dread of evil, not the hope of good that first cemented societies together. 1850Tennyson In Mem. xcviii, Evil haunts The birth, the bridal.
2. to do evil, † say evil. (In post-inflexional Eng. hardly distinguishable from use of evil adv.) † with evil: with evil intention. † to take in, or to, evil: to take (a thing) ill; also, to be hurt by.
c825Vesp. Psalter xiv. [xv.] 3 Ne he dyde ðæm nestan his yfel. 971Blickl. Hom. 51 He us þonne forᵹyldeþ swa we nu her doþ, ᵹe godes ᵹe yfeles. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. v. 11 Eadiᵹe synt ᵹe þonne hi wyriað eow and ehtað eow and secᵹeað ælc yfel [Vulg. omne malum] ongen eow. Ibid. John v. 29 Þa þe god worhton farað on lifes æreste, and þa þe yfel [Vulg. mala] dydon on domes æreste. c1340Cursor M. 23183 (Trin.) For good & euele þat þei dud ere. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. viii. 23 ‘And whoso synneth’, I seyde ‘doth yuel, as me þinketh’. c1430Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 2494 Mi lordes..Take it not in euel that I say here. Ibid. 3972 That stroke Generides to yuel nam. c1460Emare 535 Another letter she made with evyll. c1510More Picus Wks. 15/2 If folk backbite us & saie euill of us: shal we so grevously take it, that lest they should begin to do yuel? 1570Levins Manip. 127 To do Evil, male facere. 1611Bible Eccl. v. 1 They consider not that they doe euill. 1842Lytton Zanoni 29 He does no evil.
3. With defining word: That which is evil in some particular case or relation; the evil portion or element of anything. Also quasi-abstr. as in to see the evil of (a course of action).
c897K. ælfred Gregory's Past. xxi. 157 Ðu meaht ᵹeseon eall ðæt yfel openlice ðæt ðærinne lutað. c1400Solomon's Bk. Wisd. 70 Ȝif he wot any yuel by þe. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cv. 127 So that all thynges consydred, the good and yuell, they yelded them to therle of Derby. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. viii. 29 The evill donne Dyes not, when breath the body first doth leaue. 1611Bible John xvii. 15, I pray..that thou shouldest keepe them from the euill. 1651Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxviii. 162 All evill..inflicted without intention..is not Punishment. 1667Milton P.L. i. 163 If then his Providence Out of our evil seek to bring forth good. 1759Johnson Rasselas xxix, To inquire what were the sources of..the evil that we suffer. 1877Mozley Univ. Serm. ii. 34 The evil which is the excess of appetite and passion is not so bad as the evil which corrupts virtue.
II. A particular thing that is evil.
4. gen. Anything that causes harm or mischief, physical or moral. the social evil: prostitution.
a1300Cursor M. 8108 (Cott.) Þir wandes thre wit-in þe rote Gains iuels all þai bar al bote. c1325E.E. Allit. Poems B. 277, & þenne euelez on erþe ernestly grewen. c1450Castle Hd. Life St. Cuthb. (Surtees) 3696 Of twa euels gif ȝe nede þe tane To chese. c1500Melusine 237 Of two euylles men ought to choose the lasse. 1539Taverner Erasm. Prov. 39 A lytle euyll, a great good. 1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 77 Among other evils, they [hop gardens] will be full of Woormes. 1611Bible Prov. xxii. 3 A prudent man foreseeth the euill, and hideth himselfe. 1674R. Godfrey Inj. & Ab. Physic. 94 We being admonisht by the vulgar proverb, To choose the least of Evils. 1793Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 135 There are evils to which the calamities of war are blessings. 1835Thirlwall Greece I. 305 Correcting an evil which disturbed the internal tranquillity of Sparta. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 136 One of the chief evils which afflicted Ireland. 1871Morley Voltaire (1886) 13 A real evil to be combated. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 75 We can afford to forgive as well as pity the evil which can be cured.
†5. A wrong-doing, sin, crime. Usually pl. Obs.
Beowulf 4194 [Ic] þam leod-scaðan yfla gehwylces hond⁓lean forᵹeald. c1000Ags. Ps. cv. 25 [cvi. 32] Þær Moyses wearð mæᵹene ᵹebysᵹad for heora yfelum. c1175Lamb. Hom. 15 Þas þeues þet nulleð nu nefre swike heore uueles. a1300E.E. Psalter lxxiv. 5 [lxxv. 4], I said to wicke, Ivels wicli do þer forn. c1374Chaucer Boeth. iv. i. 109 Yif þat yuelys passen wiþ outen punyssheinge. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxi. 465, I have don many grete evylles agenst my creatour. 1559Mirr. Mag., Worcester xvii, King Edwardes evilles all wer counted mine. 1597Shakes. Rich. III, i. ii. 76 (Qo.) Of these supposed evils [Fo. crimes]..to acquit myself. 1614Bp. Hall Contempl. O.T. vi. ii, Men thinke either to patronize or mitigate evils, by their fained reasons.
†6. A calamity, disaster, misfortune. Obs.
a1300E.E. Psalter lxxxix. [xc.] 15 Yheres in whilke we segh ivels þus. c1400Apol. Loll. 41 He reprouid þe rych, and seid many iuel to cum to hem. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xix. 408 Grete evylles and harmes are happeth therby. 1535Coverdale Esther viii. 6 How can I se the euell that shal happe vnto my people? 1590J. Smythe in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 64 Ther may uppon dyvers accidents ensue such and so great evills unto your Majestie and Realme. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 281 How in safety best we may Compose our present evils. 1791Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest i, With the additional evil of being separated from his family.
7.
†a. gen. A disease, malady. Obs.
c1205Lay. 17598 Aurilie wule beon dæd. Þat ufel is under his ribben. c1300Havelok 114 Than him tok an iuel strong. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 3001 Som..Sal haf als þe yuel of meselry. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) viii. 29 A medicinal thing it [aloes] es for many euils. 1480Caxton Descr. Eng. 25 The yelow euyll that is called the Jaundis. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 843 The slow creeping Evil eats his way. 1725N. Robinson Th. Physick 280 It cannot be expected that..the feeling his Pulse..will remove the Evil he labours under.
fig.c1400Rom. Rose 3269 This is the yvelle that love they calle.
b. the Aleppo evil: ‘a disease, which first appears under the form of an eruption on the skin, and afterwards forms into a sort of boil’ (Penny Cycl. XII. 12/2). † the foul evil: the pox. † the falling evil: = ‘the falling sickness’, epilepsy.
c1340Cursor M. 11831 (Trin.) Þe fallyng euel had he to melle. c1400Mandeville (1839) vi. 69 It heleth him of the fallynge Euyll. c1475Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 791 Hic morbus caducus, the fallyn evylle. 1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 506 The bloud of a lamb mingled with wine doth heal..those which have the foul evil. 1869E. A. Parkes Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 79 The Aleppo evil, the Damascus ulcer, and some other diseases.
c. Short for King's evil: scrofula. Also attrib. in † evil gold, the gold coin (see angel n. 6) given by the king to those touched by him for ‘the evil’.
[1530Palsgr. 182 Les escrovelles, a disease called the quynnancy or the kynges yvell.] 1605Shakes. Macb. iv. iii. 146 Macd. What's the Disease he means? Mal. Tis call'd the Euill. 1667Lond. Gaz. No. 154/4 There will be no farther Touching for the Evil till Michaelmas next. 1702Ibid. No. 3814/4 Stolen..two Pieces of Evil Gold. 1737Pope Hor. Epist. ii. ii. 219 When golden Angels cease to cure the Evil. 1751Fielding in Lond. Daily Advertiser 31 Aug., Two of the most miserable Diseases..the Asthma and the Evil. 1868Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) II. App. 536 The first who undertook to cure the evil by the royal touch.
C. Comb.
1. Of the adj., chiefly parasynthetic adjs., as evil-affected (hence evil-affectedness), evil-complexioned, evil-eyed, evil-fortuned, evil-headed, evil-hearted, evil-hued, evil-mannered, evil-minded (hence evil-mindedness), evil-officed, evil-qualitied, evil-savoured, evil-starred, evil-thewed [see thew], evil-thoughted, evil-tongued, evil-weaponed, evil-willed; also † evil-usage = ill-usage. evil-favoured, etc.
1611Bible Acts xiv. 2 Stirred vp the Gentiles, and made their mindes *euill affected against the brethren.
1670Cotton Espernon i. iv. 154 The *evil-affectedness of the people.
1623Drummond of Hawthornden Cypress Grove Wks. 121 If they were not distempered and *evil complexioned, they would not be sick.
1611Shakes. Cymb. i. i. 72 You shall not finde me (Daughter) *Euill-ey'd vnto you. 1661Pierce Serm. 29 May 35 Nor can you rationally hope to keep your Peace any longer, then whilest the evil-ey'd Factions want power to break it. 1872Ruskin Eagle's Nest §106 But to be evil-eyed, is that not worse than to have no eyes?
1490Caxton Eneydos xxvi. 94 O fortune *euyll fortuned why haste thou not permytted me, etc.
c1583Balfour Practicks 490 (Jam.) Gif the awiner of the beist..knew that he was *evil-heidit or cumbersom.
1832Tennyson Œnone 49 *Evil-hearted Paris..Came up from reedy Simois all alone.
a1225Ancr. R. 368 Me..tolde him þet his deore spuse..were..lene & *vuele iheowed.
1656Trapp Comm. Col. ii. 20 The most uncivil and *evil-mannered..of all those who have borne the name of God upon earth.
1531in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. vii. 201 Opportunity was taken by the *evil-minded to worry alien Surgeons. 1687Dryden Hind & P. ii. 689 Some evil-minded beasts might..wreak their hidden hate. 1817Cobbett Pol. Reg. 8 Feb. 164 The endeavours which have recently been exerted..by designing and evil-minded men.
1884J. Parker Apost. Life III. 144 We ourselves are..infinite in the variety of our *evil-mindedness.
1607Tourneur Rev. Trag. ii. i, What makes yon *euill-offic'd man?
1613Life Will I in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 12 His return was on foot, by reason of the *evil-qualitied ways.
c1400Rom. Rose 4733 [Love is] Right *evelle savoured good savour.
1842Tennyson Locksley Hall 155 In wild Mahratta-battle fell my father *evil-starr'd.
c1400Beryn 2177 Nevir thing so wild Ne so *evill thewid, as I was my selff.
1824J. Symmons tr. æschylus' Agamem. 11 Cure me of *evil-thoughted care.
1867in Deutsch's Rem. 8 The *evil-tongued messenger arrived in the camp.
1645Milton Tetrach. Wks. (1847) 218/1 Hemingius..writing of divorce..gives us six [causes thereof], adultery, desertion, inability, errour, *evil usage, and impiety.
1590Sir J. Smyth Disc. Weapons Sig. ***, They have been contented to suffer their soldiers to goe *evill weaponed.
1393Langl. P. Pl. C. ii. 189 Men of holy churche, Auerouse & *euel⁓willed whanne thei ben auaunsed. c1400Apol. Loll. 25 Who schal rise to gidre wiþ me aȝenis þe iuil willid. 1460–70Bk. Quintessence (1889) 26 Saturn is a planete evel-willid and ful of sekenes. 1533More Answ. poysoned Bk. Wks. 1054/2 His wisedome will not enter into an euil-willed heart.
2. Of the n.
a. objective with agent-noun, as evil-sayer, evil-speaker, evil-worker; with vbl. n. and pr. pple. forming adjectives and substantives, as evil-boding, evil-saying, evil-speaking, evil-wishing.
b. instrumental, with pples., forming adjs., as † evil-bicaught, evil-impregnated. Also evil-proof a., proof against evil. evil-doer, -willer, etc.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 296 Thai weren sought and founde hem nought Tho he held hem *iuel bicought.
1833H. Martineau Manch. Strike xi. 125 The *evil-bodings which a succession of Job's comforters had been pouring into her ears. 1855Singleton Virgil I. 101 And evil-boding bitches, and ill-omened birds.
1855Woman's Devotion II. 25 *Evil-impregnated air that seemed to surround Lady Jane, wherever she went.
1864Skeat Uhland's Poems 63 Now, builder, finish the walls and roof, God's blessing hath made it *evil-proof.
1530Palsgr. 217/2 *Evyll sayer, maldisant.
1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 93 Detraccyon is a preuy & secrete *euyll sayenge of our neyghbour.
a1200Moral Ode 274 Þeor beð naddren..Þa tered and freteð þe *uuele speken. 1413Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iii. v. (1483) 53 Gladly heryng euery euel speker.
1611Bible 1 Pet. ii. 1 *Euill-speakings. 1705Stanhope Paraphr. III. 495 Many good Men..look upon these Evil-speakings as a sort of Martyrdom. 1847Grote Greece ii. xi. (1862) II. 339 [Solon] forbade absolutely evil-speaking with respect to the dead.
a1586Sidney (J.), A country full of *evilwishing minds towards him.
1552Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 4 Behald the doggis, behald *ewil workeris. 1611Bible Phil. iii. 2 Beware of euill workers.
▸ Evil Empire n. orig. U.S. (depreciative) the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (now hist.); (also) communist nations collectively; (in extended use) any very powerful nation or organization which is perceived as a competitor, enemy, or potential threat.
1983R. Reagan in N.Y. Times 9 Mar. a18/6, I urge you to beware the temptation..to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an *evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding. 1992Our Times Sept. 53/3 Even today, with the Evil Empire in tatters and the Cold War frozen in time, we are only a historical blip away from the madness brought on by anti-communism. 2003Los Angeles Times (Electronic ed.) 19 Jan. Red Sox President Larry Lucchino, reacting to the Yankees' signing of Contreras, Japanese outfielder Hideki Matsui and Roger Clemens for $63.1 million, described the Yankees as the Evil Empire.
▪ II. † ˈevil, n.2 Obs.
Meaning uncertain.
(Some commentators explain it as ‘a jakes, privy’; there seems to be no ground for this exc. in the two passages themselves, where ‘hovel’ would suit equally well. But identity with prec. seems quite possible.)
1603Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. ii. 172 Hauing waste ground enough, Shall we desire to raze the Sanctuary And pitch our euils there? 1613― Hen. VIII, ii. i. 67 Let 'em looke they glory not in mischiefe Nor build their euils on the graues of great men.
▪ III. ˈevil, n.3 dial.
[The OE. word for ‘fork’ is ᵹeaful; a parallel form *ᵹifel might give evil in dialects.]
(See quot.)
1642in Cotton Barnstaple (1890) 68 [The common sort] betooke themselves to armes..some with pikes, some with dunge Evells, some with great poles. 1863Morton Cycl. Agric. (E.D.S.), Evil, three-pronged fork.
▪ IV. evil, adv.|ˈiːv(ə)l|
Forms: 1 yfele, yfle, 3–4 uvele, ufele, 4–6 evel(e, -el(l(e, yvel(e, -ell, (4 evyil, ivel, yvyl, yvle, 5 avell, ewell, yeffell), 4–7 evill(e, -yl(e, -yl(l(e, (6 ewill), 3– evil.
[ME. uvele (ü), ivele, evele, OE. yfele, f. yfel = OS. uƀilo (Du. euvel), OHG. ubilo, upilo (MHG. übele, Ger. übel):—OTeut. *uƀilô.]
In an evil manner; ill.
†1. Wrongly, wrongfully, wickedly, ill; esp. with to do, speak, etc. Obs.; cf. evil n. 2.
c1000Ags. Gosp. John xviii. 22 Gif ic yfele [1160 Hatton efele] spræce cyð ᵹewittnysse be yfele. c1000Ags. Ps. lxx[i]. 9 Oft me feala cwædon feondas yfele. a1300Cursor M. 6531 (Gött.) Sone herd he..Þat his folk ful euil had don. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 147 Þe clergy Gaf a grete cursyng on whilk of þam..þat euelle bituex þam spak. c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 12 Þei coueiten euyle here neiȝ eboris goodis. c1400Destr. Troy 10493 Ector with envy evill he dyssayuet, Dang hym to dede. c1440Gesta Rom. xc. 413 (Add. MS.) The yonge sone..spendid Euyll the money that was take hym to the vse of the scole. 1541R. Barnes Wks. (1573) 361/1 Man euill vsyng hys free⁓will, dyd both loose him selfe, and also his freewil. 1547Homilies i. Contention ii. (1859) 138 If I be evil reviled, shall I stand still, like a goose or a fool? 1580Baret Alv. E 388, It is euill done of you, iniquè facis. 1611Bible John xviii. 23 If I haue spoken euill beare witnesse of the euill.
b. to speak evil (OE. be) of: to speak maliciously, slanderously, abusively of; in later use perh. regarded as a n., but in OE. and ME. an adv.
c1000Ags. Gosp. Mark ix. 39 Nis nan þe on minum naman mæᵹen wyrce & mæᵹe raðe be me yfele sprecan. 1535Coverdale Ezek. xxxvi. 23 My greate name..which amonge the Gentiles is euel spoken of. 1580North Plutarch 740 [Alexander's friends] beganne..to speake euill of him. 1611Bible Mark ix. 39 There is no man, which shall doe a miracle in my Name, that can lightly speake euill of me. c1630Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. 45 Here Aretine lies..Who, whilst he liv'd spoke evil of all. a1768T. Secker Serm. (1775) lxxxix. III. 229 Whoever is..long evil spoken of, hath been faulty. 1841Lane Arab. Nts. I. 91 That I should be his enemy, and speak evil of him.
†c. to hear evil: to be evil spoken of; = L. male audire. Cf. to hear ill. Obs.
1584Forme of Prayer Ch. Scotl. G 2 b, If he haue..gouerned him selfe in suche sorte as the worde of God hath not hearde euill. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. v. 23 O! what of gods then boots it to be borne, If old Aveugles sonnes so evill heare?
†2. Harmfully, injuriously, esp. in to evil entreat; badly, severely, shamefully. Obs.
c1205Lay. 1903 Vfele [c 1275 vuele] he hine mærde. 1340Ayenb. 239 He het þet ha wer riȝt wel ybeate and euele y-draȝe. c1380Sir Ferumb. 2557 Do make vp Seynt petris churche Þat þe Sarsynz han yule arayd. c1400Destr. Troy 9685 The bodies on bent brethit full euyll. a1450Knt. de la Tour 23 They..plucked each other bi the here of the hede right evelle. 1485Caxton Paris & V. 19 Geffroy went to therthe under hys hors ryght evyl hurte. 1562Act 5 Eliz. c. 4. §35 If any such Master shall misuse or evil intreat his Apprentice. 1578Gude & Godlie Ball. (1868) 133, I was..Euill totcheit and rockit. 1611Bible Deut. xxvi. 6 The Egyptians euil intreated vs, and afflicted vs. 1693Mem. Ct. Teckele ii. 89 More fit to ruine and evil entreat the Peasants..than to fight an Enemy. 1749Act 22 Geo. II in Beawes Lex Mercat. (1752) 251 Pillaged, beaten, or evil⁓intreated.
†3. With difficulty, hardly. Obs.
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 8 In þyne olde elde þat yuel can suffre Pouerte. c1435Torr. Portugal 81 Fulle evylle thow dourst hyme stond. 1470–85Malory Arthur ii. viii, It is euyl sene said the knyghtes that thou art a true man that thou wolt not telle thy name. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccccxxxviii. 771 They shulde full yuell agone any farther to gette any forage. 1580North Plutarch (1676) 819 Brutus could evil away with the tyranny.
†4. Badly, poorly, indifferently, insufficiently; not well. evil at ease = ill at ease. Obs.
a1300Cursor M. 16119 (Cott.) Mi wyf es sumquat iuel at ess. c1340Ibid. 4422 (Trin.) Alas Ioseph..Euel is þe quit þi trewe seruyse. 1399Langl. Rich. Redeles iv. 52 Euyll be we worthy to welden oure hire. c1420Anturs of Arth. ix, Alle bare was the body..in clething evyl clad. 1475Bk. Noblesse 30 No cheveteyn can not have..good men of armes eville paied. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon ix. 253, I am evyll contente. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xviii. 21 With them came other folkis of the countrey..with brede euyll bakyn. Ibid. I. lxxxiii. 105 They were but yuell payed. 1563Homilies ii. Idolatry ii. (1859) 197 The East and West Churches, which agreed evil before..fell to utter enmity. 1587Harrison England ii. xxi. (1877) i. 332 Sicke and evill at ease. 1599Hakluyt Voy. II. 129 Horses..very leane and evill appoynted for service.
†5. Badly, defectively; imperfectly, unskilfully; also, incorrectly, wrongly. Obs.
a1000Riddles xliv. 10 (Gr.) Gif se esne his hlaforde hyreð yfle. a1250Owl & Night. 1204 Ic wot if smithes sale vuele clenche. c1300Beket 404 So schal the pays of the londe wel uvele beon iholde. c1340Cursor M. 25828 (Fairf.) Qua-sim dos squa is iuel taȝt. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 93 Cankre..comeþ of a wounde yvel heelid. c1450Merlin iii. 46 Sirs ye knewe Merlin full euell. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. Ded. Ep. (Arb.) 14 A good tale euel tolde. 1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 22 If it be shallowe in one place, and deepe in an other, it declares the grounde to be evill handled in the plowing. 1597Morley Introd. Mus. 74 Shew me a reason why the Discord is euill taken here? 1629Purchas Pilgrims II. 1032 These vessels are more wide than ours, being evil made.
†6. Badly, unfortunately, unhappily, unsuccessfully. Obs.
971Blickl. Hom. 247 Þy læs wen sie þæt we yfele forweorþon. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 387 (Gr.) Ðæt sceolde unc Adame yfele geweorðan ymb ðæt heofonrice. c1340Cursor M. 18278 (Fairf.) Evylle hast þou done thy-self to spede. c1400Rom. Rose 1067 Yvel mote they thryve & thee..These losengers ful of envye! 1401Pol. Poems (1859) II. 97 Evel mot he spede, that beggith of the puple more than is nede. 1795Robin Hood (Ritson 1795) I. 83 Yeffell mot he the, Seche thre strokes he me gafe. 1611Bible 1 Chron. vii. 23 It went euill with his house.
†7. With to become, like, etc. Obs.
c1230Hali Meid. 7 To don al & drehen þat him likeð ne sitte hit hire se uuele. a1300Cursor M. 548 (Gött.) Of thing men likis, euil or wele. c1300Beket 1179 Uvele bicom him to gon afote. 1540Coverdale Fruitf. Less. Pref. Wks. (Parker Soc.) I. 201 How evil doth it become a believer to be ireful and greedy of vengeance. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iv. vii. 84 How euill it beseemes thee, To flatter Henry.
8. Comb.
a. With agent-nouns, forming ns., as evil-liver, evil-looker.
1846Trench Mirac. xxxiii. (1862) 462 The ship of the Church,—encumbered with *evil-livers till it well nigh makes shipwreck altogether. 1887Lady Bellairs Gossips w. Girls ii. 64 Do not delude yourself that..you will be able to reform a lover who has been an evil liver.
1697Evelyn Numism. ix. 302 Witches and *Evil-lookers as they call them.
b. With pres. pples., forming adjs., as evil-smelling; with vbl. ns., forming ns., as evil-getting (concr.), evil-taking. Also evil-liking, ill-favoured; evil-sounding, harsh-sounding; evil-willing.
1652Bp. Hall Invis. World iii. §5 He [Satan] heartens us in *evil gettings under pretence of the opportunity of liberal almsgiving.
1535Coverdale Joel i. 18 The bullockes are very *euel likynge because they haue no pasture.
1881Besant & Rice Chapl. Fleet I. 187 They were here, crouched in this filthy, *evil-smelling place.
1552Huloet *Euil soundynge, absonus.
1547Homilies i. Salvation iii. (1859) 32 To avoid *evil taking and misunderstanding.
c. With pa. pples., forming adjs. (a) With sense ‘wickedly, wrongly’, as evil-disposed, evil-gotten, evil-won. (b) With sense ‘imperfectly, unskilfully’ (= mis-), as evil-fashioned, evil-loved, evil-ordered, evil-pieced, evil-shaped, evil-shapen, evil-sown, evil-spun, evil-taught. Also evil-sained [see sain], lit. ‘ill-blessed’ i.e. accursed.
1563Foxe in Latimer's Serm. & Rem. (1845) p. xix, He was tossed and turmoiled by *evil-disposed persons. 1854J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) I. xxxvii. 571, I should, on the contrary have created the Tribunate, had I been hypocritical or evil-disposed. 1483in Surtees Misc. (1890) 28 Breyerton, talȝer, has an ewell dyspossid woman to hys wyff. Ibid. John Herrot has avell dyssposid chylld.
c1496Serm. Episc. Puer. (W. de W.) B iij, *Euyll-fasshened garmentes & deuyllysshe shoon & slyppers of frensmen.
1539Taverner Erasm. Prov. 25 *Euyl gotten good go euyll awaye.
1552Huloet *Euil loued, antiphalus.
1526Househ. Ord. 235 That the napery be not torne nor rent or otherwise *evill-ordered.
1570–6Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 307 Friendship, that is but *evill peeced, will not ioine close, but falleth asunder againe.
1588A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. K iv, Away with luther and Caluine and sic *euilsained sanctes.
1832Motherwell Poems (1847) 17 And sway to their purpose Each *evil-shaped mood.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. xxxii. (1495) 432 The pecok hath an..*euyll shapen heed.
a1541Wyatt Poet. Wks. (1861) 170 The gain is hers, the loss is mine: Of *evil-sown seed such is the fruit.
1388Songs Costume (Percy Soc.) 45 Ware of *evel-spon waste.
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xx. 185 ‘Sire *euel-ytauȝte elde’ quod I ‘vnhende go with the’!
1583Semphill Ball. 210 Ane carling of the Quene of Phareis, That *ewill win geir to elphyne careis.
▪ V. † ˈevil, v.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 yfelan, -ian, 2 uvelien, 3 i-uvelen, 4 evel-, yl(en, 5 evel, -yl.
[ME. uvelien (ü), OE. yfelian, f. yfel, evil a.]
1. trans. To do evil to; to harm or injure; to ill-treat; to affect with disease.
c1000Ags. Ps. lxxxii[i]. 3 And ehtunga ealle hæfdon, hu hi þine halᵹan her yfeladan. Ibid. cvi[i]. 38 Næs heora neata nan ᵹeyfelad. c1175Lamb. Hom. 15 Ne scal us na mon uuelien þer uore. c1205Lay. 31774 ær þe uisc i-eten weore i-uueled was þe king. c1435Torr. Portugal 1843 Thou shalte lyve and wel fare, Yf the nothing evylle.
2. intr.
a. To grow bad (morally).
b. To fall ill; to be ill or sick.
1002–23Wulfstan Addr. to Eng. (ed. Napier) 156 Ðeos woruld..sceal..ær Antecristes tocyme yfeljan swiðe. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 8032 She euylde, And deyde sunner þan she wylde. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 81 In Ynde beeþ men of fyue cubites long, þat eueleþ nouȝt, noþer ȝildeþ vp þe breeþ. 14..tr. Higden (Rolls) VII. 516 (Harl. MS. 1900) The duke eueled so in the wey. |