Evil

[ee-vuh l] /ˈi vəl/

adjective
1.
morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked:
evil deeds; an evil life.
2.
harmful; injurious:
evil laws.
3.
characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous:
to be fallen on evil days.
4.
due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character:
an evil reputation.
5.
marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc.:
He is known for his evil disposition.
noun
6.
that which is evil; evil quality, intention, or conduct:
to choose the lesser of two evils.
7.
the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.
8.
the wicked or immoral part of someone or something:
The evil in his nature has destroyed the good.
9.
harm; mischief; misfortune:
to wish one evil.
10.
anything causing injury or harm:
Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.
11.
a harmful aspect, effect, or consequence:
the evils of alcohol.
12.
a disease, as .
adverb
13.
in an evil manner; badly; ill:
It went evil with him.
Idioms
14.
the evil one, the devil; Satan.
/ˈiːvəl/
adjective
1.
morally wrong or bad; wicked: an evil ruler
2.
causing harm or injury; harmful: an evil plan
3.
marked or accompanied by misfortune; unlucky: an evil fate
4.
(of temper, disposition, etc) characterized by anger or spite
5.
not in high esteem; infamous: an evil reputation
6.
offensive or unpleasant: an evil smell
7.
(slang) good; excellent
noun
8.
the quality or an instance of being morally wrong; wickedness: the evils of war
9.
(sometimes capital) a force or power that brings about wickedness or harm: evil is strong in the world
10.
(archaic) an illness or disease, esp scrofula (the king’s evil)
adverb
11.
(now usually in combination) in an evil manner; badly: evil-smelling
adj.

Old English yfel (Kentish evel) “bad, vicious, ill, wicked,” from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz (cf. Old Saxon ubil, Old Frisian and Middle Dutch evel, Dutch euvel, Old High German ubil, German übel, Gothic ubils), from PIE *upelo-, from root *wap- (cf. Hittite huwapp- “evil”).

“In OE., as in all the other early Teut. langs., exc. Scandinavian, this word is the most comprehensive adjectival expression of disapproval, dislike or disparagement” [OED]. Evil was the word the Anglo-Saxons used where we would use bad, cruel, unskillful, defective (adj.), or harm, crime, misfortune, disease (n.). The meaning “extreme moral wickedness” was in Old English, but did not become the main sense until 18c. Related: Evilly. Evil eye (Latin oculus malus) was Old English eage yfel. Evilchild is attested as an English surname from 13c.
n.

Old English yfel (see evil (adj.)).

adjective

As used by a hacker, implies that some system, program, person, or institution is sufficiently maldesigned as to be not worth the bother of dealing with. Unlike the adjectives in the cretinous, losing, brain-damaged series, “evil” does not imply incompetence or bad design, but rather a set of goals or design criteria fatally incompatible with the speaker’s. This usage is more an aesthetic and engineering judgment than a moral one in the mainstream sense. “We thought about adding a Blue Glue interface but decided it was too evil to deal with.” “TECO is neat, but it can be pretty evil if you’re prone to typos.” Often pronounced with the first syllable lengthened, as /eeee’vil/.
Compare evil and rude.
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-12)