diabhal
The Gaelic word for devil is diabhal.
diabhal is a noun used to refer to an evil creature.
Meaning: evil creature (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'the devil', use the definite article an before the word: an diabhal.
Did you know?
- In some parts of the Gaeltacht, one might hear people say an diabhal a thaisce to a child, which translates to 'the devil, my treasure', used when a child is being particularly naughty.
- In traditional Gaelic folklore, the 'devil' is often depicted as a clever trickster or a shape-shifter rather than just a monster of pure evil.
- The word diabhal is derived from the Ancient Greek word διάβολος, which originally meant 'slanderer' rather than an evil entity.
Examples in context
- Tha an diabhal an seo.The devil is here.
- Chunnaic an duine an diabhal.The man saw the devil.
Example conversation
Hamish and Mairead are talking about a scary story.
- HamishAn diabhal an caractar sin?Is that character the devil?
- MaireadTha, is e an diabhal e.Yes, he is the devil.
- HamishTha e uamhasach.He is terrible.
- MaireadTha e uamhasach a' truth.He is truly terrible.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries diabhal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
