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διάβολος
the devil /ðiˈavolos/
nounB1#1015 most common
Also: slanderer, devilish person (figurative, of a cunning or mischievous individual)
Example sentences
Ο διάβολος είναι κακός.
The devil is bad.
Στο παραμύθι, ο διάβολος κρύβεται στο δάσος.
In the fairy tale, the devil hides in the forest.
Λένε ότι ο διάβολος κρύβεται στις λεπτομέρειες.
They say the devil is in the details.
Μην πουλάς την ψυχή σου στον διάβολο.
Don't sell your soul to the devil.
Ο συγγραφέας περιγράφει τον διάβολο ως σύμβολο του κακού μέσα στον άνθρωπο.
The author describes the devil as a symbol of the evil inside man.
Η φράση «ο διάβολος κρύβεται στις λεπτομέρειες» αποδίδεται συχνά σε αρχιτέκτονες, αν και η προέλευσή της παραμένει αμφιλεγόμενη.
The phrase "the devil is in the details" is often attributed to architects, though its origin remains disputed.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ο διάβολος | οι διάβολοι |
| Genitive | του διαβόλου | των διαβόλων |
| Accusative | τον διάβολο | τους διαβόλους |
| Vocative | διάβολε | διάβολοι |
Word family
διαβολικόςdevilish, fiendish
διαβολήslander, calumny
διαβάλλωto slander, to malign
διαβολικάdevilishly, fiendishly
διαβολεμένοςcunning, sly (colloquial, of a clever troublemaker)
Etymology
Διάβολος comes from Ancient Greek διαβάλλω, meaning to slander or accuse falsely, built from διά (across, through) and βάλλω (to throw). The original sense was a person who throws accusations across at someone, a slanderer. Greek translators used it to render the Hebrew satan (adversary) in the Septuagint, and from there it passed into Latin as diabolus and into English as devil.
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