devilkinn.
/ˈdɛvlkɪn/, U.S. /ˈdɛv(ə)lkən/ A little devil, an imp; a demonic underling. Also in extended use.The theory given in quot. 1656, that dickens as used in oaths and imprecations developed from this word, is unlikely: see etymology at dickens n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > little
dabletc1380
deviling1579
devilkin1656
po1678
diablotin1812
devileta1845
demonette1854
1656 T. Blount Glossographia Dickins, a corruption of Devilkins, i. little Devils.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. xl. 294 That a Beelzebub has his devilkins to attend his call.
1798 tr. J. G. Zimmermann Solitude Considered v. 250 Freeing the sisters of a convent near Avignon, from a species of devilkins who visited them by night.
1833 T. Hook Widow iii, in Love & Pride I. 60 Attendant devilkins of an inferior class, with hoofs, horns, talons and tails.
1851 D. Jerrold St. Giles & St. James (new ed.) xxii, in Writings I. 224 Now shout, ye imps! Scream, ye devilkins—for it is done!
1893 Pall Mall Mag. Nov. 118 Black itching marks, left by the stings of these imperceptible little devilkins [sc. flies].
1917 Evening Gaz. (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 6 Jan. 5/1 ‘An awful, red-eyed, scrambly fiend scared me—a real, live, hairy devilkin on stilts...’ ‘That was a tarantula.’
1999 P. Quarrington Spirit Cabinet xii. 146 He stumbles forward and wraps his hands around the doorknob, pulls the door open—and sees fiends, devilkins and familiars, gnomes, trolls, and wraiths.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1656