devilessn.
/dɛvᵻˈlɛs/, /ˈdɛvl̩ᵻs/, U.S. /ˈdɛvl̩əs/, /ˈdɛvələs/ A female devil; (depreciative) a wicked or vicious woman. Cf. she-devil n. at she pron.1, n., and adj. Compounds 1b(b)(ii).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > female
mare1440
hag1538
empusa1572
demonessa1638
mare-hag1638
deviless1693
rakshasi1841
glaistig1926
1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xxvii. 226 There was not Angel, Man, Devil, nor Deviless [Fr. diablesse], upon the place, who would not [etc.].
1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. xx. 90 Though we should abominate each other, ten times worse than so many devils or devilesses.
1771 A. Wall Life of Lamenther iv. 143 The Deviless came and informed me that my Father was decorating himself to go to Church.
1813 C. Hutton Miser Married I. xxviii. 284 The moderate, frugal, retired, complying Mrs. Mereval, alias Lady Montgomery, alias Madam Deviless, turns out to be the very reverse of all she pretended to be!
1881 Athenæum 9 July 45/3 But a commonplace woman, with little of either the saint or the ‘deviless’ in her composition.
1937 Sunday Avalanche-Jrnl. (Lubbock, Texas) 31 Oct. 10/2 His Satanic Majesty Richard Flowers of the Tech speech department, who with a similarly dressed devil-ess, Miss Loraine Childress, secretary to the dean of men and a sponsor of the club, were chaperones.
2010 Farmington (New Mexico) Daily Times (Nexis) 17 Feb. I sorta think it's like selling your soul to the deviless.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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