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Sanskrit root for the English word 'devil'?

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Heiner Kottmann

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Jul 7, 2001, 5:06:19 AM7/7/01
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Hello!

I'd like to ask whether you could help me to clarify the root of
'devil'. I'm having a discussion with an American writer. We agree
that some words from Indo-European languages have their root in the
sanskrit stem 'deva', like 'deus' in Latin (consequently 'dios'
[Spanish], 'dieu' [French] for example), 'divine' in English and so
on.

We disagree about 'devil'. In my opinion the English 'devil' and the
German 'Teufel', too, have their root in 'deva' or 'div' while she
says this is not the case.

Now, there are some Internet sources supporting my opinion, but they
all don't seem to be scientifically based enough. Do you perhaps have
any idea?

Thanks!

Heiner Kottmann

Péter Bárány

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Jul 8, 2001, 9:03:37 AM7/8/01
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Heiner Kottmann wrote:
>
> I'd like to ask whether you could help me to clarify the root of
> 'devil'. I'm having a discussion with an American writer. We agree
> that some words from Indo-European languages have their root in the
> sanskrit stem 'deva', ...

... or rather, in a PIE root that is also the source of the Sanskrit
word. That's quite a difference.

> We disagree about 'devil'. In my opinion the English 'devil' and the
> German 'Teufel', too, have their root in 'deva' or 'div' while she
> says this is not the case.

Both "devil" and "Teufel" are ultimately derived from Greek "diabolos"
(slanderer), from "dia" + "ballein". (And no, "dia" has nothing to do
with the PIE root in question.)

HTH,
Péter

masaladose

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Jul 16, 2001, 5:26:07 PM7/16/01
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"Heiner Kottmann" <HKot...@gmx.net> wrote in message news:<9i6kee$h2gmg$1...@ID-28424.news.dfncis.de>...

Not sure if this helps...but in Kannada(spoken in southern india),
'devva' means devil or 'rakshas'.

Jan Hauck

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Jul 17, 2001, 11:34:29 AM7/17/01
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whereas Kannada is a Dravidian language, therefore not Indoeuropean....so
could devva be a 'borrowed' or 'lent' word because the Indoeuropean
languages are so close and so influenced each other or is devva a Dravidian
word completely?


"masaladose" <masal...@hotmail.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag

William J Giddings

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Jul 22, 2001, 4:30:50 PM7/22/01
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"Heiner Kottmann" <HKot...@gmx.net> wrote in message
news:9i6kee$h2gmg$1...@ID-28424.news.dfncis.de...

As a matter of interest, the Anglo Saxon words for 'devil' were 'deoful' and
'deofol'. Skeats 'Concise Dictionary of English Etymology' gives, however, a
latin-greek origin -diabolus. From an archeolinguistic point of view,
'ubersprach' rather than sanskrit is considered the 'root' of pan
Indo-European languages. However, there still are many exceptions. Welsh,
for instance.

Good luck.....

Will

Ben Paley

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Jul 23, 2001, 10:42:29 AM7/23/01
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William J Giddings <wgdl...@cablenet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:_JG67.15922$_i3.1...@news1.cableinet.net...

> From an archeolinguistic point of view,
> 'ubersprach' rather than sanskrit is considered the 'root' of pan
> Indo-European languages. However, there still are many exceptions. Welsh,
> for instance.

Oh, go on then, why Welsh? Isn't it a Celtic language descended, like the
other Celtic languages, from proto-IE?

m.shaf...@gmail.com

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Feb 6, 2015, 1:01:21 AM2/6/15
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guest

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Mar 10, 2015, 2:36:25 PM3/10/15
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On Friday, 6 February 2015 00:01:21 UTC-6, m.shaf...@gmail.com wrote:
> https://books.google.nl/books?id=Y-GfRToMY-8C&pg=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq=devil+sunscret+root&source=bl&ots=GQWuknH9Yp&sig=eyhMuiAW9gq5zmg-Bc3Dor9JsdE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=glfUVMiZAo6AafWhgpAM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=devil%20sunscret%20root&f=false

Just to clarify for other readers, the first search match (1/3) in the link points to the most relevant section, which is on page 82 going by the book's numbering. You will find it under the heading 'The Origin of the Words "Devil" and "Demon"'

Madhu

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Mar 12, 2015, 11:03:16 AM3/12/15
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* guest <fc5f047c-cfdb-48f5...@googlegroups.com> :
Wrote on Tue, 10 Mar 2015 11:36:25 -0700 (PDT):
This does not help, if you want to clarify, please post the actual text
you wish to quote, a few sentences to illustrate the point being made.

[A google url is not helpful at all, the data is inaccessible without
javascipt for eg. google just serves to get between you and your data,
and makes your data inaccesible unless you submit to their terms of
service and use their satanic technologies which they has invested in:
to deliver advertisments, consume your bandwidth, generating big data
to track you. Unless your goals are identical to google's in
encouraging submission and worship of the beast] ---Madhu


sudar...@gmail.com

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Jun 24, 2015, 1:58:57 AM6/24/15
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You may want to check Ancient-Iranian / Avestan.
dEva in old-Iranian means the opponents of gods.

protonx80

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May 24, 2018, 8:40:42 AM5/24/18
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i am a perfect layman in these things.... but according to me.... the asurs were the old iranians......devas and asurs were basically enemies and as such what aryans consider devi the killer of asurs .... the old asurs would consider an evil entity .....
devi --> devil
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