διάβολος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ζάβολος (zábolos)

Etymology

From διαβάλλω (diabállō, “I slander”), from δια- (dia-, “through”) +‎ βάλλω (bállō, “I throw”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /di.á.bo.los/ → /ðiˈa.βo.los/ → /ðiˈa.vo.los/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /di.á.bo.los/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /diˈa.bo.los/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ðiˈa.βo.los/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ðiˈa.vo.los/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ðiˈa.vo.los/

Adjective

δῐᾰ́βολος • (diábolos) m or f (neuter δῐᾰ́βολον); second declension

1. slanderous; libellous

Inflection

Second declension of δῐᾰ́βολος; δῐᾰ́βολον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		δῐᾰ́βολος diábolos	δῐᾰ́βολον diábolon		δῐᾰβόλω diabólō	δῐᾰβόλω diabólō		δῐᾰ́βολοι diáboloi	δῐᾰ́βολᾰ diábola
Genitive		δῐᾰβόλου diabólou	δῐᾰβόλου diabólou		δῐᾰβόλοιν diabóloin	δῐᾰβόλοιν diabóloin		δῐᾰβόλων diabólōn	δῐᾰβόλων diabólōn
Dative		δῐᾰβόλῳ diabólōi	δῐᾰβόλῳ diabólōi		δῐᾰβόλοιν diabóloin	δῐᾰβόλοιν diabóloin		δῐᾰβόλοις diabólois	δῐᾰβόλοις diabólois
Accusative		δῐᾰ́βολον diábolon	δῐᾰ́βολον diábolon		δῐᾰβόλω diabólō	δῐᾰβόλω diabólō		δῐᾰβόλους diabólous	δῐᾰ́βολᾰ diábola
Vocative		δῐᾰ́βολε diábole	δῐᾰ́βολον diábolon		δῐᾰβόλω diabólō	δῐᾰβόλω diabólō		δῐᾰ́βολοι diáboloi	δῐᾰ́βολᾰ diábola
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		δῐᾰβόλως diabólōs			δῐᾰβολώτερος diabolṓteros			δῐᾰβολώτᾰτος diabolṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

• διαβόλως (diabólōs)

Noun

δῐᾰ́βολος • (diábolos) m (genitive δῐᾰβόλου); second declension

1. slanderer
2. The Devil (Biblical figure).

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ δῐᾰ́βολος; τοῦ δῐᾰβόλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ δῐᾰ́βολος ho diábolos	τὼ δῐᾰβόλω tṑ diabólō	οἱ δῐᾰ́βολοι hoi diáboloi
Genitive	τοῦ δῐᾰβόλου toû diabólou	τοῖν δῐᾰβόλοιν toîn diabóloin	τῶν δῐᾰβόλων tôn diabólōn
Dative	τῷ δῐᾰβόλῳ tôi diabólōi	τοῖν δῐᾰβόλοιν toîn diabóloin	τοῖς δῐᾰβόλοις toîs diabólois
Accusative	τὸν δῐᾰ́βολον tòn diábolon	τὼ δῐᾰβόλω tṑ diabólō	τοὺς δῐᾰβόλους toùs diabólous
Vocative	δῐᾰ́βολε diábole	δῐᾰβόλω diabólō	δῐᾰ́βολοι diáboloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: διάβολος (diávolos)
• →? Arabic: إبليس (ʾiblīs)
• → Coptic: ⲇⲓⲁⲃⲟⲗⲟⲥ (diabolos)
• → Gothic: 𐌳𐌹𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌻𐌿𐍃 (diabaulus), 𐌳𐌹𐌰𐌱𐌿𐌻𐌰 (diabula)
• → Latin: diabolus (see there for further descendants)
• → Old Church Slavonic: диꙗволъ (dijavolŭ), дїаволъ (diavolŭ), диꙗволь (dijavolĭ), дьѣволъ (dĭjěvolŭ)
  • Bulgarian: дя́вол (djávol)
  • → Romanian: diavol
• → Old East Slavic: диꙗволъ (dijavolŭ)
  • Russian: дья́вол (dʹjávol)
  • Ukrainian: дия́вол (dyjávol)
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: ђа̏вао, ђа̏во̄

  Latin script: đȁvao, đȁvō

  • →? Istriot: giavo, djavo

Further reading

• “διάβολος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “διάβολος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• διάβολος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• διάβολος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “διάβολος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1228 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • abusive idem, page 5.
  • calumnious idem, page 110.
  • defamatory idem, page 203.
  • disparaging idem, page 236.
  • opprobrious idem, page 577.
  • scandalous idem, page 737.
  • scurrilous idem, page 743.
  • slanderous idem, page 782.

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Greek

Alternative forms

• διάλος (diálos), διάολος (diáolos)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈðʝa.vo.los/
• Hyphenation: διά‧βο‧λος
• IPA^(key): /ˈði̯a.vo.los/ (less common)

Noun

διάβολος • (diávolos) m (plural διάβολοι)

1. (both figurative and literally) The Devil, devil.

   Ο διάβολος ζει στην κόλαση.

   O diávolos zei stin kólasi.

   The Devil lives in Hell.

   Μια χαρά ήμασταν και τότε ήρθε αυτός ο διάβολος.

   Mia chará ímastan kai tóte írthe aftós o diávolos.

   We were fine and this devil came along.

   Βρε, τον διάβολο, κανείς δεν μπορεί να τον πιάσει.

   Vre, ton diávolo, kaneís den boreí na ton piásei.

   That (little) devil, no one can catch him.

2. (both figurative and literally, by extension) Hell, hell, underworld, hellhole

   Θα πας στον διάβολο!

   Tha pas ston diávolo!

   You'll go to hell!

   Τι θέλεις και πας σ’ αυτόν τον διάβολο;

   Ti théleis kai pas s’ aftón ton diávolo;

   Why are you going to that hellhole?

Declension

Declension of διάβολος

	singular	plural
nominative	διάβολος •	διάβολοι •
genitive	διαβόλου •	διαβόλων •
accusative	διάβολο •	διαβόλους •
vocative	διάβολε •	διάβολοι •

Synonyms

• διάτανος m (diátanos)
• Σατανάς m (Satanás, “Satan”)
• Βελζεβούλ m (Velzevoúl, “Beelzebub”)
• Εωσφόρος m (Eosfóros, “Lucifer”)
• Μεφιστοφελής m (Mefistofelís, “Mephistopheles”)
• τρισκατάρατος m (triskatáratos, “devil”) (euphemism)
• εξαποδώς m (exapodós, “devil”) (euphemism)
• κόλαση f (kólasi, “Hell”)
• αγύριστος m (agýristos, “Hell”)

Derived terms

• διαβολάκι n (diavoláki),διαολάκι n (diaoláki) (diminutive)
• διαβολάκος m (diavolákos) (diminutive)
• διαβολεμένος (diavoleménos)
• διαβολοκόριτσο n (diavolokóritso)
• διαβολοσκορπίσματα n (diavoloskorpísmata) (mostly in plural)
• διαόλια n pl (diaólia)
• διαολοστέλνω (diaolostélno)
• δουλειά δεν είχε ο διάβολος, γαμούσε τα παιδιά του (douleiá den eíche o diávolos, gamoúse ta paidiá tou, “the devil makes work for idle hands”) (literally: the devil didn't have anything to do, so he was fucking his children)
• δουλειά δεν είχε ο διάβολος και έπνιγε τα παιδιά του (douleiá den eíche o diávolos kai épnige ta paidiá tou, “the devil makes work for idle hands”) (literally: the devil didn't have anything to do and so he was drowning his children)
• and see: διαβολο-, διαβολό-, διαβολ-, διαολό-, διαολο-

Related terms

• άντε στο διάολο (ánte sto diáolo, “go to hell”) (also formed with διάβολο)
• α στο διάολο (a sto diáolo, “go to hell”) (also formed with άι)
• άντε στο διάλο (ánte sto diálo, “go to hell”)
• α στο διάλο (a sto diálo, “go to hell”)

• and see: άντε (ánte) for interchangeable interjections combined with διάβολο or διάολο or διάλο
• διάβολε (interjection)
• να πάρει ο διάβολος (na párei o diávolos)