Origins
The word 'devil' conceals a vivid physical metaphor beneath its theological weight. It descends from Old English 'dēofol,' borrowed from Latin 'diabolus,' itself from Greek 'diábolos' (διάβολος). In classical Greek, 'diábolos' meant 'slanderer,' 'false accuser,' or 'one who causes division,' built from the prefix 'dia-' (across, through) and the verb 'bállein' (to throw). Literally, a 'diábolos' is 'one who throws across' — someone who casts accusations, hurls obstacles, or flings division between people.
The word's theological career began with the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible produced in Alexandria in the third century BCE. The translators used 'diábolos' to render Hebrew 'śāṭān' (שָׂטָן), meaning 'adversary,' 'accuser,' or 'one who obstructs.' In the Hebrew Bible, the 'śāṭān' is not necessarily a singular supreme evil being but rather a role — an accuser or adversary, sometimes a member of the divine court whose function is to test or prosecute (as in the Book of Job, where 'the śāṭān' challenges God to test Job's faithfulness). The Greek translation hardened this functional role into a proper name and a fixed identity: 'ho diábolos' — the Devil.
The Latin form 'diabolus' entered the Germanic languages during the Christianization of Europe. Old English 'dēofol,' Old High German 'tiufal' (modern German 'Teufel'), Old Norse 'djöfull,' Old Saxon 'diuƀal,' and Dutch 'duivel' all descend from the Latin. The significant phonetic changes these forms underwent — especially the shift from 'diabolus' to 'dēofol' — testify to how early the borrowing occurred and how thoroughly the word was naturalized into Germanic speech.
Greek Origins
The Greek verb 'bállein' (to throw) is one of the most productive roots in the English vocabulary, appearing in dozens of words where the metaphor of throwing has been extended in different directions. 'Symbol' comes from 'syn-' (together) + 'bállein' — something 'thrown together' as a token or sign (originally, two halves of a broken object that, when 'thrown together,' proved the identity of the bearer). 'Parable' comes from 'para-' (beside) + 'bállein' — something 'thrown beside' another thing for comparison. 'Problem' comes from 'pro-' (before, forward) + 'bállein' — something 'thrown before' you, an obstacle in your path. 'Hyperbole' is 'throwing beyond' (exaggeration). 'Metabolism' is 'throwing in change' (transformation). 'Ballistic' comes directly from 'bállein' — the science of things thrown.
The relationship between 'devil' and 'diabolic' is straightforward (both from 'diábolos'), but the connection to 'symbol,' 'problem,' 'parable,' and 'ballistic' is less obvious and more illuminating. They are all words about throwing — accusations, signs, obstacles, comparisons, and projectiles. The devil, in his Greek etymology, is not a horned monster but a prosecutor: one who hurls charges, casts aspersions, and throws discord into the world.