she-devil

English

Etymology tree

English she-

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

Proto-Indo-European *-s

▲

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *dwísder.

Ancient Greek διά (diá)

Ancient Greek δια- (dia-)

Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der.

Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō

Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō)

Ancient Greek διαβάλλω (diabállō)

Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos)bor.

Latin diabolusbor.

Proto-West Germanic *diubul

Old English dēofol

Middle English devel

English devil

English she-devil

From she- + devil.

she-devil (plural she-devils)

(literally) A female devil (as opposed to a he-devil, male devil).
- 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 114:
  In order to exorcise this she-devil, the attendants made circles on the walls with charcoal, within each was written: "Adam, Eve, Lilas, avaunt!"
(figuratively) A woman whose bad temper, cruelty or wicked ways are so extreme as to evoke an image of the devil.
- 1828, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter XVI, in Pelham; or, The Adventures of a Gentleman. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 130:
  Monsieur Margot groaned. “Go, then, my friend,” said he, “procure the ladder! Oh, those she devils!—what could make me such a fool!”

female devil

Armenian: please add this translation if you can
Belarusian: чарто́ўка f (čartówka), бясо́ўка f (bjasówka)
Catalan: diablessa (ca) f
Dutch: duivelin (nl) f
Esperanto: diablino
French: diablesse (fr) f
German: Teufelin (de) f
Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐌷𐌿𐌻𐌸𐍉 m (unhulþō)
Polish: diablica (pl) f
Portuguese: diaba (pt) f
Russian: дьяволи́ца (ru) f (dʹjavolíca), черто́вка (ru) f (čertóvka), бесо́вка (ru) f (besóvka)
Spanish: demonia femenina, diabla (es) f
Swedish: hondjävul c, djävulinna (sv) c
Ukrainian: дияволи́ця f (dyjavolýcja), дия́волка f (dyjávolka), чорти́ха f (čortýxa), чорти́ця f (čortýcja), біси́ха f (bisýxa)
Volapük: (♂♀) diab (vo), (♂) hidiab, (♀) jidiab (vo)
Welsh: cythreules f

bad-tempered woman

Armenian: please add this translation if you can
Belarusian: чарто́ўка f (čartówka), бясо́ўка f (bjasówka)
Catalan: diablessa (ca) f
Dutch: duivelin (nl) f, feeks (nl) f, helleveeg (nl) f
Esperanto: diablino
French: diablesse (fr) f
German: Teufelin (de) f, Teufelsweib (de) n, Drachen (de) m
Greek: διαβολογυναίκα (el) f (diavologynaíka), διαβολοθήλυκο n (diavolothílyko), διαβόλισσα (el) f (diavólissa)
Hebrew: מִרְשַׁעַת (he) f (mirshá'at)
Macedonian: ѓаво́лица f (ǵavólica), ѓа́волка f (ǵávolka)
Polish: jędza (pl) f, sekutnica (pl) f, złośnica (pl) f, diablica (pl) f
Russian: дьяволи́ца (ru) f (dʹjavolíca), черто́вка (ru) f (čertóvka), бесо́вка (ru) f (besóvka)
Ukrainian: дияволи́ця f (dyjavolýcja), дия́волка f (dyjávolka), чорти́ха f (čortýxa), чорти́ця f (čortýcja), біси́ха f (bisýxa)