'devil' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'deofol', which in turn comes from Latin 'diabolus' and Greek 'diabolos' meaning 'slanderer' or 'accuser'.

'devil' changed from Old English 'deofol' (borrowed from Latin 'diabolus'), which itself came from Greek 'diabolos' (from the verb 'diabállein' meaning 'to throw across' or 'to slander'), and eventually became the modern English word 'devil'.

Initially, it meant 'the slanderer/accuser' (a term used in religious texts for Satan), but over time it evolved into the broader modern sense of 'an evil supernatural being' and also came to be used figuratively for wicked or troublesome people.