archdevil
A chief or reigning devil.
Noun
- A chief or reigning devil.
- From the context and other parts of the work, we are to understand that the demons here described are the personal friends of our sovereign, and that the archdevil was the mother of our sovereign. - 1802, The...
- In short, it is purely the work of the devil that they are doing, and especially that of the archdevil, who presides at Muhlhausen, and directs nothing but robbery, murder and bloodshed. - 1841, George Waddington, A...
- A spirit of ultraism seems to pervade the whole community. The language of Milton's archdevil "Evil, be thou my good" is the creed of modern reformers, or, in other words — anything for a change. What is to come of all...
Coordinate Terms: subdevil underdevil
Origin
Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἄρχω (árkhō) Ancient Greek ἀρχι- (arkhi-)der. Latin archi-bor. Old English arċe- Middle English arch- English arch- Ancient Greek διαβάλλω (diabállō) Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos)bor. Latin diabolusbor. Proto-West Germanic *diubul Old English dēofol Middle English devel English devil English archdevil From arch- + devil.