English
diabolus
Diabolus comes from Latin diabolus ‘devil’, and goes back to Ancient Greek διαβάλλω ‘to throw over or across’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιαβάλλωdiabállō‘to throw over or across’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιάβολοςdiábolos‘The Devil’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiabolus‘devil’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιαβάλλωdiabállō‘to throw over or across’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιάβολοςdiábolos‘The Devil’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiabolus‘devil’
- Englishtodaysame form
A compound of διά ‘in a line’ + δια- + βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’
Proto-Indo-European *dwís ‘twice, doubly’
Ancient Greek διά ‘in a line’
Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to throw, reach, pierce’
Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’
Linked words
through Ancient Greek διάβολος ‘The Devil’
through Latin diabolus ‘devil’
Today it means
noun Synonym of tritone.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek διαβάλλω / diabolus