that possess a demoniac person; "devil" may refer to one of the "malignant deities" feared and worshiped by "heathen people", a demon, a malignant being of superhuman powers; figuratively "devil" may be applied to a wicked person, or playfully to a rogue or rascal, or in empathy often accompanied by the word "poor" to a person--"poor devil".

History

Pre-Historic period to Archaic period

Most early belief-systems had no unifying concept of evil. In the oldest available records, evil is part of nature.

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