the chief spirit of evil and enemy of God, often represented as the ruler of hell and often depicted as a human figure with horns, cloven hoofs, and tail
2. theology
one of the subordinate evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief
3.
a person or animal regarded as cruel, wicked, or ill-natured
4.
a person or animal regarded as unfortunate or wretched
that poor devil was ill for months
5.
a person or animal regarded as clever, daring, mischievous, or energetic
6. informal
something difficult or annoying
7. Christian Science
the opposite of truth; an error, lie, or false belief in sin, sickness, and death
8.
(in Malaysia) a ghost
9.
a portable furnace or brazier, esp one used in road-making or one used by plumbers
Compare salamander (sense 7)
10.
any of various mechanical devices, usually with teeth, such as a machine for makingwooden screws or a rag-tearing machine
11. printer's devil
12. law
(in England) a junior barrister who does work for another in order to gain experience, usually for a half fee
13. meteorology
a small whirlwind in arid areas that raises dust or sand in a column
14. between the devil and the deep blue sea
15. devil of
16. give the devil his due
17. go to the devil
18. like the devil
19. play the devil with
20. raise the devil
21. talk of the devil!
22. the devil!
23. the devil's own
24. the devil take the hindmost
25. the devil to pay
26. the very devil
verbWord forms: -vils, -villing, -villedWord forms: US-vils, -viling or -viled
27. (transitive)
to prepare (esp meat, poultry, or fish) by coating with a highly flavoured spiced paste or mixture of condiments before cooking
28. (transitive)
to tear (rags) with a devil
29. (intransitive)
to serve as a printer's devil
30. (intransitive) mainly British
to do hackwork, esp for a lawyer or author; perform arduous tasks, often without pay or recognition of one's services
31. (transitive) US informal
to harass, vex, torment, etc
Word origin
Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Greek diabolos enemy, accuser, slanderer, from diaballein, literally: to throw across, hence, to slander
Examples of 'devilling' in a sentence
devilling
If things became difficult, he might need someone to do some devilling for him.