diabolical
Meaning
Extremely bad, shocking, or evil.
Extremely clever or complicated in a way that is annoying or difficult to deal with.
Structure
Usage
The prisoners suffered diabolical cruelty at the hands of their captors.
She concocted a diabolical plan to get her revenge.
The puzzle's solution was of diabolical complexity.
Etymology
The word 'diabolical' traces its lineage directly to the concept of the ultimate adversary. Its core, 'diabol-', originates from the Greek verb diaballein, meaning 'to slander' or literally 'to throw across', suggesting the act of causing division or accusation. This evolved into diabolos, a term for 'slanderer' or 'accuser', which was adopted into Latin as diabolus and became the primary term for the Devil in Christian theology. By adding the adjectival suffix '-ical', the word came to mean 'of or pertaining to the devil', which, through figurative use, broadened to describe anything considered profoundly wicked, cruel, or fiendishly clever.
Analysis
- diabol: From Latin diabolus (devil, slanderer), from Greek diabolos (slanderer, accuser), from diaballein (to slander, to throw across). - ical: A common English adjectival suffix, from Latin -icalis, indicating 'of or pertaining to'.