Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Deviltry |
DeviltryNoun1. Wicked and cruel behavior. 2. Reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "deviltry" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1827. (references) |
Synonyms: DeviltrySynonyms: devilment (n), devilry (n), mischief (n), mischief-making (n), mischievousness (n), rascality (n), roguery (n), roguishness (n), shenanigan (n). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Deviltry |
| English words defined with "deviltry": Deviltries. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "deviltry": Female. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FEMALE, n. One of the opposing, or unfair, sex. The Maker, at Creation's birth, With living things had stocked the earth. From elephants to bats and snails, They all were good, for all were males. But when the Devil came and saw He said: "By Thine eternal law Of growth, maturity, decay, These all must quickly pass away And leave untenanted the earth Unless Thou dost establish birth" -- Then tucked his head beneath his wing To laugh -- he had no sleeve -- the thing With deviltry did so accord, That he'd suggested to the Lord. The Master pondered this advice, Then shook and threw the fateful dice Wherewith all matters here below Are ordered, and observed the throw; Then bent His head in awful state, Confirming the decree of Fate. From every part of earth anew The conscious dust consenting flew, While rivers from their courses rolled To make it plastic for the mould. Enough collected (but no more, For niggard Nature hoards her store) He kneaded it to flexible clay, While Nick unseen threw some away. And then the various forms He cast, Gross organs first and finer last; No one at once evolved, but all By even touches grew and small Degrees advanced, till, shade by shade, To match all living things He'd made Females, complete in all their parts Except (His clay gave out) the hearts. "No matter," Satan cried; "with speed I'll fetch the very hearts they need" -- So flew away and soon brought back The number needed, in a sack. That night earth range with sounds of strife -- Ten million males each had a wife; That night sweet Peace her pinions spread O'er Hell -- ten million devils dead! G.J. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
Expression using "deviltry": dare deviltry. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "deviltry": Dare-deviltry. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
deviltry | 8 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "deviltry"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | trill (caprice, crotchet, device, fad, fancy, fantasy, freak, kink, phantasy, vagary, wantonness, whim, whimsy), mizori (atrocity, barbarism, cruelty, devilry, diabolism, ferocity, inhumanity, outrage), magji e zezë (devilry, diablerie, diabolism, necromancy), ligësi (atrocity, badness, devilry, evildoing, evilness, iniquity, malice, mischief, rancor, rancour, viciousness, wickedness). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | дяволска работа (devilment, devilry). (various references) | |
Czech | velké zlo (devilry). (various references) | |
German | Teufelei (devilish trick, devilry, diabolicalness, ghoulishness, piece of devilry). (various references) | |
Greek | διαβολιά (cunning, impishness). (various references) | |
Hungarian | dévajkodás (archness, dalliance, devilry), pajkoskodás (devilry, frolic), huncutkodás (devilry), fekete mágia (black art, black magic, devilry, diablerie, witchcraft), ördöngösség (devilment, devilry, diablerie, diabolism, witchcraft). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eviltryday.(various references) | |
Portuguese | demonologia (devilry), magia negra (black art, black magic, devilry, witchcraft, witchery), crueldade (atrociousness, atrocity, bloodiness, cruelty, devilry, fellness, harshness, oppression, savagery, severity), artes mágicas (devilry, diabolism, magic, sorcery). (various references) | |
Russian | черная магия (black magic, devilment, devilry, diablerie, necromancy, witchcraft). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | vragolija (devilment, devilry, prank, waggery). (various references) | |
Spanish | tensiones del diablo. (various references) | |
Swedish | djävulskhet (devildom, devilry), trolldom (conjuring, enchantment, hoodoo, magic, sorcery, witchcraft, wizardy), svart magi (black magic, devilry), jäkelskap (devilment, devilry), elakhet (cruelty, devilry, evilness, malevolence, malice, malignancy, meanness, naughtiness, spitefulness, unkindness, venom, wickedness). (various references) | |
Turkish | yiğitlik (achievements, bravery, courage, dare devilry, dare deviltry, daring, doughtiness, exploit, feat, gallantry, gameness, intrepidity, manfulness, pluckiness, prowess, stoutness, valiantness, valor, virility), gözüpeklik (audaciousness, boldness, dare devilry, dare deviltry, daring, derring-do, venturesomeness), atılganlık (dare devilry, dare deviltry, dash, enterprise, hardihood, hardiness, venturesomeness). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | yêu thuật (devilment, devilry, sorcery, theurgy), tính vong mạng (devilry), tính ác độc tính liều mạng (devilry), quỷ thuật tính hung ác (devilry). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words ending with "deviltry": daredeviltry. (additional references) | |
| |
"Deviltry" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: devilray. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "d-e-i-l-r-t-v-y" | |
-1 letter: devilry, tiredly. | |
-2 letters: direly, divert, drivel, levity, livery, livyer, ridley, tirled, verily, verity. | |
-3 letters: deity, devil, dirty, diver, drily, drive, ervil, idler, liter, litre, lived, liver, livre, redly, relit, riled, riley, rived, rivet, tilde, tiled, tiler, tired, tried, tyred, veldt, viler, yield. | |
-4 letters: deil, deli, delt, diel, diet, dire, dirl, dirt, dite, dive, dyer. | |
| Words containing the letters "d-e-i-l-r-t-v-y" | |
+3 letters: divergently, providently, reductively, valedictory. | |
+4 letters: daredeviltry, decoratively, derivatively, derogatively, detractively, disruptively, driveability, federatively, postdelivery, predictively, productively, valetudinary, veridicality. | |
+5 letters: adumbratively, adversatively, declaratively, descriptively, destructively, devolutionary, improvidently, inadvertently, predicatively, radioactively. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Non-fiction 6. Expressions 7. Expressions: Internet 8. Translations: Modern | 9. Derivations 10. Anagrams 11. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
