▪ I. evil, a. and n.
(ˈiːv(ə)l)
Forms: 1–2 yfel (in inflexions yf(e)l-), (2–4 ifel, 2 efel, yfell, 3 ywel(l, 2–3 ufel, 2–4 uvel(e, 2–5 ivel, (3 ȝevel, 4 ivil), 3–6 evel(l(e, (5 ewelle, hevelle, 6 ewil, yell), 4–6 evill(e, -yl(l(e, yvel(l(e, (6 yevill), 4– evil.
[ME. uvel (ü), OE. yfel = OS. uƀil, OFris., MDu. evel (Du. euvel), OHG. ubil, upil (Ger. übel), Goth. ubils:—OTeut. *uƀilo-z; usually referred to the root of up, over; on this view the primary sense would be either ‘exceeding due measure’ or ‘overstepping proper limits’.
The form evel, whence the mod. form descends, appears in ME. first as west midland and Kentish, but in 15th c. had become general. The conditions under which early M.E. (i) or (y) became (eː), the antecedent of mod.Eng. (iː), are not clearly determined; the present word and weevil seem to be the only examples in which this change was other than local; obs. and dial. instances are yeve = ‘give’, leve = ‘live’, easle. (Other apparent examples are due to OE. forms with eo, resulting from u- or o- umlaut.)]
A. adj. The antithesis of good in all its principal senses.
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. In mod. colloquial Eng. it is little used, such currency as it has being due to literary influence. In quite familiar speech the adj. is commonly superseded by bad; the n. is somewhat more frequent, but chiefly in the widest senses, the more specific senses being expressed by other words, as harm, injury, misfortune, disease, etc.
I. Bad in a positive sense.
1. Morally depraved, bad, wicked, vicious. Also absol. Obs. as applied to persons.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 37 We sceolan..ure heortan clænsian from yflum ᵹeþohtum. Ibid. 161 Hi cyningum & yfelum ricum ealdormannum wiþstandan mihtan. c 1200 Ormin 1742 To bærnenn all þatt ifell iss Aweȝȝ inn hise þeowwess. c 1340 Cursor M. 8106 (Fairf.) Lothe is Eville mannys soule & body boþe. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xv. cxvii. (1495) 532 Pentapol..hathe that name of 5 cytees of euel men that were dystroyed wyth fyre of heuen. c 1440 Gesta Rom. x. 31 (Harl. MS.) Ivel men, þe which neyþer lovith god, neyþer hire neghebowre. 1526 Tindale Matt. xxi. 41 He will cruellye destroye those evyll persons. 1584 D. Powel tr. Lloyd's Cambria 16 Sigebert..for his Euill behaviour was expelled. 1611 Bible Gen. viii. 21 The imagination of mans heart is euil from his youth. 1794 Coleridge Relig. Musings Wks. 1847 I. 94 She..from the dark embrace all evil things Brought forth and nurtured: mitred Atheism! 1817 W. Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1156 Imputing to a person an evil inclination. 1871 Smiles Charac. i. (1876) 10 Good deeds act and react on the doers of them; and so do evil. |
| absol. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 23 Alle men shullen cume to libben echeliche..þe gode on eche blisse..þ e uuele on eche wowe. c 1300 Cursor M. 25249 (Cott. Galba MS.) On domesday..þe euill sall fra þe gude be drawn. 1827 Pollok Course T. x. 215 To the evil..Eternal recompense of shame and woe. |
2. Doing or tending to do harm; hurtful, mischievous, prejudicial. Of advice, etc.: Misleading. Of an omen, etc.: Boding ill.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him al þa hebreisce men mid godere and summe mid ufele þeonke. c 1205 Lay. 2541 Ah þa heora fader wes dæd Þe sunen duden vuelne [c 1275 vuele] ræd. a 1225 Ancr. R. 52 Is hit so ouer vuel uor te toten utward? 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 593 Thurghe evelle conceille was slayne..the Erle of Arundelle. c 1340 Cursor M. 4635 (Fairf.) He prisoned was wiþ euel rede. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 330 Evyl ensaumple of opyn synne. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 41 It is not yvel to putte a litil opium to þe oile of þe rosis. a 1400–50 Alexander 703 Þe euyll sterne of Ercules how egirly it soroȝes. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 808 Hym shulnot harme non hevelle thyng. c 1449 Pecock Repr. 4 Gouernauncis of the clergie whiche summe of the comoun peple..iugen to be yuele. 1530 Palsgr. 217/2 Evyll tourne, maluais tour. 1584 Powell tr. Lloyd's Cambria 99 King Edward by Euill counsel banished Algar. 1587 L. Mascall Govt. Cattle, Oxen (1627) 36 Yeugh is euill for cattell to eate. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, v. vi. 44 The Owle shriek'd at thy birth, an euill signe. 1611 Bible Gen. xxxvii. 20 Some euill beast hath deuoured him. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Wks. 32 Weigh not how we, Evil to our selves, against Thy laws rebell. 1655 Culpepper Riverius i. xvi. 57 In a great Headach it is evil to have the outward parts cold. 1846 Ruskin Mod. Paint. II. ii. ii. xv. §5 The neglect of art..has been of evil consequence to the Christian world. 1868 J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. I. 403 The evil system of pluralities. |
3. Uses partaking of senses 1 and 2:
a. evil will: depraved intention or purpose; also, desire for another's harm;
= ill-will.
rare in
mod. use.
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. xxi. 157 He of yfelum willan ne ᵹesyngað. a 1300 Cursor M. 1065 (Cott.) For caym gaf him wit iuel will. 1340 Ayenb. 66 Þe dyeuel beginþ þet uer of tyene and euel wyl uor to becleppe. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 121 For enuye and yuel wille is yuel to defye. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxix. 142 The duke..pardoned them all his yuell wyll. 1540 Coverdale Fruitf. Less. iii. Wks. (Parker Soc.) I. 370 Many afflictions, much evil-will..shall happen unto you. 1563 Homilies ii. Rogat. Week iii. (1859) 492 Cast we off all malice & all evil will. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus' Ann. iii. ii. (1622) 65 He [Piso] increased the euill will of the people towards him. |
b. evil angel, spirit, etc. Also,
the evil one (
† Sc. the evil man): the Devil.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xiv. 26 Forðon yfel wiht is. 1555 Eden Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.) 27 Sundrie illusions of euyl spirites. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. iv. iii. 282 Bru. Speake to me, what thou art. Ghost. Thy euill Spirit, Brutus? 1611 Bible Luke vii. 21 Hee cured many..of euill spirits. 1648 Acts Gen. Assemb. 463 (Jam.) Whilest some fell asleep, and were carelesse..the evil man brought in prelacy. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 463 That space the Evil one abstracted stood From his own evil. 1681–6 J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 347 The Ministry of the evil Angels to him. 1727 De Foe Syst. Magic i. i. (1840) 24 They did not suppose those wise men..had an evil spirit. 1825 Lytton Zicci 2 The Evil Spirit is pulling you towards him. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 117 Sakhr was an evil Jinnee. 1881 Bible (Revised) Matt. vi. 13 Deliver us from the evil one. |
c. Of repute or estimation: Unfavourable.
evil tongue: a malicious or slanderous speaker.
arch.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 20 Of him in holy kirke men said euelle sawe. 1382 Wyclif 2 Cor. vi. 8 By yuel fame and good fame. c 1450 Myre 58 Wymmones serues thow moste forsake, Of euele fame leste they the make. 1535 Coverdale Ecclus. xxviii. 19 Wel is him that is kepte from an euell tonge. 1611 Bible Deut. xxii. 19 He hath brought vp an euill name vpon a virgine of Israel. a 1891 Mod. Newspaper, The defendant was arrested in a house of evil repute. |
4. Causing discomfort, pain, or trouble; unpleasant, offensive, disagreeable; troublesome, painful.
| a 1131 O.E. Chron. an. 1124 Se king let hine don on ifele bendas. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iv. (1586) 161 The berrie of..the wilde Vine..the evill taste wherof will cause them to loth Grapes. 1578 Lyte Dodoens i. lxxxviii. 130 The herbe..is of a very evill and strong stincking savour. 1690 Locke Hum. Und. ii. xx. (1695) 121 We name that Evil, which is apt to produce or increase any Pain, or diminish any Pleasure in us. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. lv, Are God and Nature then at strife That Nature lends such evil dreams? |
† b. Hard, difficult. Const.
to with
inf. Obs.| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 147 Hit is uuel to understonden on hwulche wise Mon mei him solf forsake. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 63 Hony is yuel to defye and engleymeth þe mawe. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxxi. 286 It was yuell mountyng of y{supt} hyll. 1551 Turner Herbal i. A iv b, Astriction..is ether very euyll to be founde, or els there is none to be founde at all. |
† 5. Of conditions, fortune, etc., also (rarely) of persons: Unfortunate, miserable, wretched.
evil health: misfortune (see
health).
Obs.| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 33 Hwi beo we uule on þisse wrecche world. a 1300 Floriz & Bl. 441 Hi beden God ȝiue him uuel fin. c 1340 Cursor M. 7320 (Trin.) Þei aske anoþer kyng þen me Euel hele þe tyme shul þei se. c 1450 Merlin i. 20 Thow toldest the person that thow were euel thereon. 1475 Caxton Jason 30 Thenne cam agaynst him the king of Poulane, but that was to his euill helthe. c 1500 Melusine 78 He..after the dede & euylhap..fledd with all from þis land. 1530 Palsgr. 217/2 Evyll lucke, malevr. 1611 Bible Ex. v. 19 The officers..did see that they were in euill case. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World v. iii. §15 So beaten and yn such euill plight. |
b. Of periods of time: Characterized by misfortune or suffering, unlucky, disastrous.
evil May-day: see
May-day1.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ix. 120 Wastoures and wrecches out of wedloke..Conceyued ben in yuel tyme. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iii. 107 Evyll daye gyve you, god. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 780 Her rash hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the Fruit. 1738 Wesley Psalms iv, Help me in my Evil Day. 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) iv. Introd., In an evil hour I..changed my lodgings. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 280 In times which might by Englishmen be justly called evil times. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 186 The Boii..determined to anticipate the evil day. |
6. evil eye. (Phrases,
to bear, cast, look with, an evil eye.)
a. A look of ill-will.
| c 1000 Liber Scintillarum xxvii. (1889) 102 Unclænnyss eage yfel [oculus malus] withersacung..gemænsumiaþ man. 1382 Wyclif Mark vii. 22 Fro withynne, of the herte of men comen..vnchastite, yuel yȝe, blasphemyes. 1526–34 Tindale Matt. xx. 15 Ys thyne eye evyll because I am good. 1611 Bible Mark vii. 22 Lasciuiousnesse, an euill eye [Rev. V. an evil eye], blasphemie. a 1639 W. Whately Prototypes i. xx. (1640) 202 Why should wee..beare an evill eye towards them? 1645 Quarles Sol. Recant x. 79 Let not thine eyes be evill. 1704 Addison Italy (1733) 58 They look with an evil eye upon Leghorne. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 394 Patriotic citizens will cast an evil eye upon you as a subverter of the laws. |
b. A malicious or envious look which, in popular belief, had the power of doing material harm; also, the faculty, superstitiously ascribed to certain individuals, of inflicting injury by a look.
Cf. Fr. mauvais œil,
It. malocchio.
| 1796 Statist. Acc. Scot. XVIII. 123 The less informed..are afraid of their [old Women's] evil Eye among the cattle. 1797 J. Dallaway Acc. Constantinople 391 Nothing can exceed the superstition of the Turks respecting the Evil Eye of an enemy or infidel. 1834 Lytton Pompeii i. iii, He certainly possesses the gift of the evil eye. 1871 Reade Terrible Tempt. xxxiii, Or if you didn't kill him, you'd cast the evil eye on him. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Wood-bk. s.v. Evil, 'E's a nasty downlookin' fellow—looks as if 'e could cast a nev'l-eye upon yo'. |
II. Bad in a privative sense: Not good.
† 7. a. Of an animal or vegetable growth or product, as a tree, fruit, the body, ‘humours’: Unsound, corrupt. Of a member or organ: Diseased.
to have an evil head: to be insane.
b. Of air, diet, water: Wanting in the essentials of healthy nutrition; unwholesome.
Obs.| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. vii. 17 ælc yfel treow byrþ yfele wæstmas. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 178 Gif of þære wambe anre þa yfelan wætan cumen. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 183 Gief þe licame beð euel, loð is heo þe sowle. c 1320 Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1878 Iuel blod was hire withinne. 1382 Wyclif Matt. vii. 18 A good tree may nat make yuel fruytis, nether an yuel tree make good fruytis. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 38 Yvel fleisch growiþ in a wounde. Ibid. 80 If..þe eir be yvel, þe sike man schal be chaungid into good eyr. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 20 A gentille man..was riotous..and hadd an evelle hede [Fr. male teste]. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xviii. 24 Beastis they..myght eate at their pleasure without bredde, whiche was an euyll dyette. 1555 Latimer in Foxe A. & M. (1563) 1372/2, I am an old man and haue a verye euill backe. 1591 F. Sparry tr. Cattan's Geomancie 199 I iudged that the horse had an euill foote and was worth nothing. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, i. i. 139 O he hath kept an euill Diet long. 1600 Hakluyt Voy. (1810) III. 341 The water whereof was so evill. 1611 Bible Jer. xxiv. 3 Very euill [figs] that cannot be eaten, they are so euill. |
† 8. Inferior in quality, constitution, condition or appearance; poor, unsatisfactory, defective.
Obs.| 971 Blickl. Hom. 197 Heo [seo cirice] is eac on onsyne utan yfeles heowes. c 1300 Cursor M. 21805 (Edin.) Þis tale queþir it be iuil or gode I fande it writin. 13.. tr. Leges Burgorum c. 63 in Sc. Stat. I. 345 And gif scho makis ivil ale and dois agane þe custume of þe toune..scho sall gif til hir mercyment viii s or..be put on þe kukstule. c 1400 Rom. Rose 4459 Whanne she wole make A fulle good silogisme..aftirward ther shal in deede Folwe an evelle conclusioun. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. B.) 8 Euyle maners beþ folwynge þe lyknesse of an yvele complexioun. 1561 in T. Thomson Inventories 141 Item, ane evill litle burdclaith of grene. 1576 Grindal Let. Ld. Burleigh Wks. (1843) 392, I pray your lordship, appoint when you come to take an evil dinner with me. 1583 Babington Commandm. i. (1637) 7 If a man cut with an evill knife, he is the cause of cutting, but not of evill cutting. 1592 in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. ix. 229 Vayns..gude to be opynd for..euyll sight. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 142. |
† b. Of a workman, work, etc.: Unskilful.
Obs.| 1513 More Rich. III (1883) 6 None euill captaine was hee in the warre. 1530 Palsgr. 416/1, I acloye with a nayle, as an yvell smythe dothe an horse foote. 1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. iv. 85 He is an euell pyper but a good fiddler. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 36 An excellent good seede for an evyll husbande. 1799 S. Freeman Town Off. 146 Forfeit every hide marred or hurt by his evil workmanship. |
B. n. I. The
adj. used
absol. That which is evil.
1. a. In the widest sense: That which is the reverse of good; whatever is censurable, mischievous, or undesirable. Also with
adj.:
moral evil,
physical evil.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 939 (Fairf.) Y made eville & good to you knowen. 1382 Wyclif Gen. iii. 5 Ȝe shul ben as Goddis, knowynge good and yuel. 1559 Bury Wills (1850) 153, I, Sir Willm Paynter..w{supt} all vnderstanding of good and evell, make this my last will. 1611 Bible Gen. iii. 5. 1732 Pope Ess. Man i. 292 All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee..All partial Evil, universal Good. 1759 Johnson Idler No. 89 ¶4 Almost all the moral good which is left among us, is the apparent effect of physical evil. 1819 Pantologia s.v., The most serious difficulty lies in accounting for the permission of moral evil or guilt. 1846 Trench Mirac. xviii. (1862) 295 They [the Scriptures] ever recognize the reality of evil. 1860 Pusey Min. Proph. 180 Evil is of two sorts, evil of sin, and evil of punishment. 1869 J. Martineau Ess. II. 42 Moral evil is a broad black fact. 1878 Tait & Stewart Unseen Univ. vii. 269 The greatest of all mysteries—the origin of evil. |
b. What is morally evil; sin, wickedness.
| c 1040 Rule St. Benet (Logeman) 3 Gecyr from yfele & do god. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 219 Þat teonðe werod abreað, and awende on yfele. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 11 An wereȝed gost..him aure tacheð to ufele. 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xxv. (1483) 71 To..chesen the good fro euylle. 1596 Raleigh in Four C. Eng. Lett. 37 Converting badd into yevill and yevill in worse. 1611 Bible Prov. iii. 7 Feare the Lord, and depart from euill. |
c. What is mischievous, painful, or disastrous.
| c 850 Bede's Death-song in Sweet O.E. Texts 149 To ymbhycgannae..huaet his gastae, godaes aeththa yflaes aefter deothdaeᵹe doemid uueorthae. 971 Blickl. Hom. 115 Nu is æᵹhwonon yfel and sleᵹe. 1154 O.E. Chron. an. 1135 Al unfrið, & yfel, & ræflac. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 788 Ðat ywel him sulde nunmor deren. a 1300 Cursor M. 7949 (Cott.) Iuel he sal apon þe rais. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 249 Ȝelde to noo man yvel for yvel. a 1400–50 Alexander 1699 Depely þam playnt, Quat erroure of þis Emperoure & euill þai suffird. c 1450 Nominale in Wr.-Wülcker 709 Morbosus, full of ewylle. 1611 Bible Job ii. 10 Shall wee receiue good at the hand of God, and shall wee not receiue euil? 1789 Bentham Princ. Legisl. xviii. §17 note, It was the dread of evil, not the hope of good that first cemented societies together. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xcviii, Evil haunts The birth, the bridal. |
2. to do evil,
† say evil. (In post-inflexional
Eng. hardly distinguishable from use of
evil adv.)
† with evil: with evil intention.
† to take in, or to, evil: to take (a thing) ill; also, to be hurt by.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xiv. [xv.] 3 Ne he dyde ðæm nestan his yfel. 971 Blickl. Hom. 51 He us þonne forᵹyldeþ swa we nu her doþ, ᵹe godes ᵹe yfeles. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. v. 11 Eadiᵹe synt ᵹe þonne hi wyriað eow and ehtað eow and secᵹeað ælc yfel [Vulg. omne malum] ongen eow. Ibid. John v. 29 Þa þe god worhton farað on lifes æreste, and þa þe yfel [Vulg. mala] dydon on domes æreste. c 1340 Cursor M. 23183 (Trin.) For good & euele þat þei dud ere. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. viii. 23 ‘And whoso synneth’, I seyde ‘doth yuel, as me þinketh’. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 2494 Mi lordes..Take it not in euel that I say here. Ibid. 3972 That stroke Generides to yuel nam. c 1460 Emare 535 Another letter she made with evyll. c 1510 More Picus Wks. 15/2 If folk backbite us & saie euill of us: shal we so grevously take it, that lest they should begin to do yuel? 1570 Levins Manip. 127 To do Evil, male facere. 1611 Bible Eccl. v. 1 They consider not that they doe euill. 1842 Lytton Zanoni 29 He does no evil. |
3. With defining word: That which is evil in some particular case or relation; the evil portion or element of anything. Also quasi-
abstr. as in
to see the evil of (a course of action).
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. xxi. 157 Ðu meaht ᵹeseon eall ðæt yfel openlice ðæt ðærinne lutað. c 1400 Solomon's Bk. Wisd. 70 Ȝif he wot any yuel by þe. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cv. 127 So that all thynges consydred, the good and yuell, they yelded them to therle of Derby. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. viii. 29 The evill donne Dyes not, when breath the body first doth leaue. 1611 Bible John xvii. 15, I pray..that thou shouldest keepe them from the euill. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxviii. 162 All evill..inflicted without intention..is not Punishment. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 163 If then his Providence Out of our evil seek to bring forth good. 1759 Johnson Rasselas xxix, To inquire what were the sources of..the evil that we suffer. 1877 Mozley Univ. Serm. ii. 34 The evil which is the excess of appetite and passion is not so bad as the evil which corrupts virtue. |
II. A particular thing that is evil.
4. gen. Anything that causes harm or mischief, physical or moral.
the social evil: prostitution.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8108 (Cott.) Þir wandes thre wit-in þe rote Gains iuels all þai bar al bote. c 1325 E.E. Allit. Poems B. 277, & þenne euelez on erþe ernestly grewen. c 1450 Castle Hd. Life St. Cuthb. (Surtees) 3696 Of twa euels gif ȝe nede þe tane To chese. c 1500 Melusine 237 Of two euylles men ought to choose the lasse. 1539 Taverner Erasm. Prov. 39 A lytle euyll, a great good. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 77 Among other evils, they [hop gardens] will be full of Woormes. 1611 Bible Prov. xxii. 3 A prudent man foreseeth the euill, and hideth himselfe. 1674 R. Godfrey Inj. & Ab. Physic. 94 We being admonisht by the vulgar proverb, To choose the least of Evils. 1793 Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 135 There are evils to which the calamities of war are blessings. 1835 Thirlwall Greece I. 305 Correcting an evil which disturbed the internal tranquillity of Sparta. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 136 One of the chief evils which afflicted Ireland. 1871 Morley Voltaire (1886) 13 A real evil to be combated. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 75 We can afford to forgive as well as pity the evil which can be cured. |
† 5. A wrong-doing, sin, crime. Usually
pl. Obs.| Beowulf 4194 [Ic] þam leod-scaðan yfla gehwylces hond⁓lean forᵹeald. c 1000 Ags. Ps. cv. 25 [cvi. 32] Þær Moyses wearð mæᵹene ᵹebysᵹad for heora yfelum. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 15 Þas þeues þet nulleð nu nefre swike heore uueles. a 1300 E.E. Psalter lxxiv. 5 [lxxv. 4], I said to wicke, Ivels wicli do þer forn. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iv. i. 109 Yif þat yuelys passen wiþ outen punyssheinge. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxi. 465, I have don many grete evylles agenst my creatour. 1559 Mirr. Mag., Worcester xvii, King Edwardes evilles all wer counted mine. 1597 Shakes. Rich. III, i. ii. 76 (Qo.) Of these supposed evils [Fo. crimes]..to acquit myself. 1614 Bp. Hall Contempl. O.T. vi. ii, Men thinke either to patronize or mitigate evils, by their fained reasons. |
† 6. A calamity, disaster, misfortune.
Obs.| a 1300 E.E. Psalter lxxxix. [xc.] 15 Yheres in whilke we segh ivels þus. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 41 He reprouid þe rych, and seid many iuel to cum to hem. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xix. 408 Grete evylles and harmes are happeth therby. 1535 Coverdale Esther viii. 6 How can I se the euell that shal happe vnto my people? 1590 J. Smythe in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 64 Ther may uppon dyvers accidents ensue such and so great evills unto your Majestie and Realme. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 281 How in safety best we may Compose our present evils. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest i, With the additional evil of being separated from his family. |
7. † a. gen. A disease, malady.
Obs.| c 1205 Lay. 17598 Aurilie wule beon dæd. Þat ufel is under his ribben. c 1300 Havelok 114 Than him tok an iuel strong. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3001 Som..Sal haf als þe yuel of meselry. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) viii. 29 A medicinal thing it [aloes] es for many euils. 1480 Caxton Descr. Eng. 25 The yelow euyll that is called the Jaundis. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 843 The slow creeping Evil eats his way. 1725 N. Robinson Th. Physick 280 It cannot be expected that..the feeling his Pulse..will remove the Evil he labours under. |
| fig. c 1400 Rom. Rose 3269 This is the yvelle that love they calle. |
b. the Aleppo evil: ‘a disease, which first appears under the form of an eruption on the skin, and afterwards forms into a sort of boil’ (
Penny Cycl. XII. 12/2).
† the foul evil: the pox.
† the falling evil:
= ‘the falling sickness’, epilepsy.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 11831 (Trin.) Þe fallyng euel had he to melle. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) vi. 69 It heleth him of the fallynge Euyll. c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 791 Hic morbus caducus, the fallyn evylle. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 506 The bloud of a lamb mingled with wine doth heal..those which have the foul evil. 1869 E. A. Parkes Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 79 The Aleppo evil, the Damascus ulcer, and some other diseases. |
c. Short for King's evil: scrofula. Also
attrib. in
† evil gold, the gold coin (see
angel n. 6) given by the king to those touched by him for ‘the evil’.
| [1530 Palsgr. 182 Les escrovelles, a disease called the quynnancy or the kynges yvell.] 1605 Shakes. Macb. iv. iii. 146 Macd. What's the Disease he means? Mal. Tis call'd the Euill. 1667 Lond. Gaz. No. 154/4 There will be no farther Touching for the Evil till Michaelmas next. 1702 Ibid. No. 3814/4 Stolen..two Pieces of Evil Gold. 1737 Pope Hor. Epist. ii. ii. 219 When golden Angels cease to cure the Evil. 1751 Fielding in Lond. Daily Advertiser 31 Aug., Two of the most miserable Diseases..the Asthma and the Evil. 1868 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) II. App. 536 The first who undertook to cure the evil by the royal touch. |
C. Comb. 1. Of the
adj., chiefly parasynthetic
adjs., as
evil-affected (hence
evil-affectedness),
evil-complexioned,
evil-eyed,
evil-fortuned,
evil-headed,
evil-hearted,
evil-hued,
evil-mannered,
evil-minded (hence
evil-mindedness),
evil-officed,
evil-qualitied,
evil-savoured,
evil-starred,
evil-thewed [see
thew],
evil-thoughted,
evil-tongued,
evil-weaponed,
evil-willed; also
† evil-usage = ill-usage.
evil-favoured, etc.
| 1611 Bible Acts xiv. 2 Stirred vp the Gentiles, and made their mindes *euill affected against the brethren. |
| 1670 Cotton Espernon i. iv. 154 The *evil-affectedness of the people. |
| 1623 Drummond of Hawthornden Cypress Grove Wks. 121 If they were not distempered and *evil complexioned, they would not be sick. |
| 1611 Shakes. Cymb. i. i. 72 You shall not finde me (Daughter) *Euill-ey'd vnto you. 1661 Pierce Serm. 29 May 35 Nor can you rationally hope to keep your Peace any longer, then whilest the evil-ey'd Factions want power to break it. 1872 Ruskin Eagle's Nest §106 But to be evil-eyed, is that not worse than to have no eyes? |
| 1490 Caxton Eneydos xxvi. 94 O fortune *euyll fortuned why haste thou not permytted me, etc. |
| c 1583 Balfour Practicks 490 (Jam.) Gif the awiner of the beist..knew that he was *evil-heidit or cumbersom. |
| 1832 Tennyson Œnone 49 *Evil-hearted Paris..Came up from reedy Simois all alone. |
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 368 Me..tolde him þet his deore spuse..were..lene & *vuele iheowed. |
| 1656 Trapp Comm. Col. ii. 20 The most uncivil and *evil-mannered..of all those who have borne the name of God upon earth. |
| 1531 in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. vii. 201 Opportunity was taken by the *evil-minded to worry alien Surgeons. 1687 Dryden Hind & P. ii. 689 Some evil-minded beasts might..wreak their hidden hate. 1817 Cobbett Pol. Reg. 8 Feb. 164 The endeavours which have recently been exerted..by designing and evil-minded men. |
| 1884 J. Parker Apost. Life III. 144 We ourselves are..infinite in the variety of our *evil-mindedness. |
| 1607 Tourneur Rev. Trag. ii. i, What makes yon *euill-offic'd man? |
| 1613 Life Will I in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 12 His return was on foot, by reason of the *evil-qualitied ways. |
| c 1400 Rom. Rose 4733 [Love is] Right *evelle savoured good savour. |
| 1842 Tennyson Locksley Hall 155 In wild Mahratta-battle fell my father *evil-starr'd. |
| c 1400 Beryn 2177 Nevir thing so wild Ne so *evill thewid, as I was my selff. |
| 1824 J. Symmons tr. æschylus' Agamem. 11 Cure me of *evil-thoughted care. |
| 1867 in Deutsch's Rem. 8 The *evil-tongued messenger arrived in the camp. |
| 1645 Milton Tetrach. Wks. (1847) 218/1 Hemingius..writing of divorce..gives us six [causes thereof], adultery, desertion, inability, errour, *evil usage, and impiety. |
| 1590 Sir J. Smyth Disc. Weapons Sig. ***, They have been contented to suffer their soldiers to goe *evill weaponed. |
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. ii. 189 Men of holy churche, Auerouse & *euel⁓willed whanne thei ben auaunsed. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 25 Who schal rise to gidre wiþ me aȝenis þe iuil willid. 1460–70 Bk. Quintessence (1889) 26 Saturn is a planete evel-willid and ful of sekenes. 1533 More Answ. poysoned Bk. Wks. 1054/2 His wisedome will not enter into an euil-willed heart. |
2. Of the
n. a. objective with agent-noun, as
evil-sayer,
evil-speaker,
evil-worker; with
vbl. n. and
pr. pple. forming adjectives and substantives, as
evil-boding,
evil-saying,
evil-speaking,
evil-wishing.
b. instrumental, with
pples., forming
adjs., as
† evil-bicaught,
evil-impregnated. Also
evil-proof a., proof against evil.
evil-doer, -willer, etc.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 296 Thai weren sought and founde hem nought Tho he held hem *iuel bicought. |
| 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike xi. 125 The *evil-bodings which a succession of Job's comforters had been pouring into her ears. 1855 Singleton Virgil I. 101 And evil-boding bitches, and ill-omened birds. |
| 1855 Woman's Devotion II. 25 *Evil-impregnated air that seemed to surround Lady Jane, wherever she went. |
| 1864 Skeat Uhland's Poems 63 Now, builder, finish the walls and roof, God's blessing hath made it *evil-proof. |
| 1530 Palsgr. 217/2 *Evyll sayer, maldisant. |
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 93 Detraccyon is a preuy & secrete *euyll sayenge of our neyghbour. |
| a 1200 Moral Ode 274 Þeor beð naddren..Þa tered and freteð þe *uuele speken. 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iii. v. (1483) 53 Gladly heryng euery euel speker. |
| 1611 Bible 1 Pet. ii. 1 *Euill-speakings. 1705 Stanhope Paraphr. III. 495 Many good Men..look upon these Evil-speakings as a sort of Martyrdom. 1847 Grote Greece ii. xi. (1862) II. 339 [Solon] forbade absolutely evil-speaking with respect to the dead. |
| a 1586 Sidney (J.), A country full of *evilwishing minds towards him. |
| 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 4 Behald the doggis, behald *ewil workeris. 1611 Bible Phil. iii. 2 Beware of euill workers. |
▸
Evil Empire n. orig. U.S. (
depreciative) the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (now
hist.); (also) communist nations collectively; (in extended use) any very powerful nation or organization which is perceived as a competitor, enemy, or potential threat.
| 1983R. Reagan in N.Y. Times 9 Mar. a18/6, I urge you to beware the temptation..to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an *evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding. 1992 Our Times Sept. 53/3 Even today, with the Evil Empire in tatters and the Cold War frozen in time, we are only a historical blip away from the madness brought on by anti-communism. 2003 Los Angeles Times (Electronic ed.) 19 Jan. Red Sox President Larry Lucchino, reacting to the Yankees' signing of Contreras, Japanese outfielder Hideki Matsui and Roger Clemens for $63.1 million, described the Yankees as the Evil Empire. |
▪ II. † ˈevil, n.2 Obs. Meaning uncertain.
(Some commentators explain it as ‘a jakes, privy’; there seems to be no ground for this
exc. in the two passages themselves, where ‘hovel’ would suit equally well. But identity with
prec. seems quite possible.)
| 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. ii. 172 Hauing waste ground enough, Shall we desire to raze the Sanctuary And pitch our euils there? 1613 ― Hen. VIII, ii. i. 67 Let 'em looke they glory not in mischiefe Nor build their euils on the graues of great men. |
▪ III. ˈevil, n.3 dial. [The OE. word for ‘fork’ is ᵹeaful; a parallel form *ᵹifel might give evil in dialects.] (See
quot.)
| 1642 in Cotton Barnstaple (1890) 68 [The common sort] betooke themselves to armes..some with pikes, some with dunge Evells, some with great poles. 1863 Morton Cycl. Agric. (E.D.S.), Evil, three-pronged fork. |
▪ IV. evil, adv. (
ˈiːv(ə)l)
Forms: 1
yfele,
yfle, 3–4
uvele,
ufele, 4–6
evel(e,
-el(l(e,
yvel(e,
-ell, (4
evyil,
ivel,
yvyl,
yvle, 5
avell,
ewell,
yeffell), 4–7
evill(e,
-yl(e,
-yl(l(e, (6
ewill), 3–
evil.
[ME. uvele (ü), ivele, evele, OE. yfele, f. yfel = OS. uƀilo (Du. euvel), OHG. ubilo, upilo (MHG. übele, Ger. übel):—OTeut. *uƀilô.] In an evil manner; ill.
† 1. Wrongly, wrongfully, wickedly, ill;
esp. with
to do,
speak, etc.
Obs.;
cf. evil n. 2.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John xviii. 22 Gif ic yfele [1160 Hatton efele] spræce cyð ᵹewittnysse be yfele. c 1000 Ags. Ps. lxx[i]. 9 Oft me feala cwædon feondas yfele. a 1300 Cursor M. 6531 (Gött.) Sone herd he..Þat his folk ful euil had don. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 147 Þe clergy Gaf a grete cursyng on whilk of þam..þat euelle bituex þam spak. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 12 Þei coueiten euyle here neiȝ eboris goodis. c 1400 Destr. Troy 10493 Ector with envy evill he dyssayuet, Dang hym to dede. c 1440 Gesta Rom. xc. 413 (Add. MS.) The yonge sone..spendid Euyll the money that was take hym to the vse of the scole. 1541 R. Barnes Wks. (1573) 361/1 Man euill vsyng hys free⁓will, dyd both loose him selfe, and also his freewil. 1547 Homilies i. Contention ii. (1859) 138 If I be evil reviled, shall I stand still, like a goose or a fool? 1580 Baret Alv. E 388, It is euill done of you, iniquè facis. 1611 Bible John xviii. 23 If I haue spoken euill beare witnesse of the euill. |
b. to speak evil (OE. be) of: to speak maliciously, slanderously, abusively
of; in later use
perh. regarded as a
n., but in
OE. and
ME. an
adv.| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Mark ix. 39 Nis nan þe on minum naman mæᵹen wyrce & mæᵹe raðe be me yfele sprecan. 1535 Coverdale Ezek. xxxvi. 23 My greate name..which amonge the Gentiles is euel spoken of. 1580 North Plutarch 740 [Alexander's friends] beganne..to speake euill of him. 1611 Bible Mark ix. 39 There is no man, which shall doe a miracle in my Name, that can lightly speake euill of me. c 1630 Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. 45 Here Aretine lies..Who, whilst he liv'd spoke evil of all. a 1768 T. Secker Serm. (1775) lxxxix. III. 229 Whoever is..long evil spoken of, hath been faulty. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 91 That I should be his enemy, and speak evil of him. |
† c. to hear evil: to be evil spoken of;
= L.
male audire.
Cf. to hear ill.
Obs.| 1584 Forme of Prayer Ch. Scotl. G 2 b, If he haue..gouerned him selfe in suche sorte as the worde of God hath not hearde euill. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. v. 23 O! what of gods then boots it to be borne, If old Aveugles sonnes so evill heare? |
† 2. Harmfully, injuriously,
esp. in
to evil entreat; badly, severely, shamefully.
Obs.| c 1205 Lay. 1903 Vfele [c 1275 vuele] he hine mærde. 1340 Ayenb. 239 He het þet ha wer riȝt wel ybeate and euele y-draȝe. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 2557 Do make vp Seynt petris churche Þat þe Sarsynz han yule arayd. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9685 The bodies on bent brethit full euyll. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour 23 They..plucked each other bi the here of the hede right evelle. 1485 Caxton Paris & V. 19 Geffroy went to therthe under hys hors ryght evyl hurte. 1562 Act 5 Eliz. c. 4. §35 If any such Master shall misuse or evil intreat his Apprentice. 1578 Gude & Godlie Ball. (1868) 133, I was..Euill totcheit and rockit. 1611 Bible Deut. xxvi. 6 The Egyptians euil intreated vs, and afflicted vs. 1693 Mem. Ct. Teckele ii. 89 More fit to ruine and evil entreat the Peasants..than to fight an Enemy. 1749 Act 22 Geo. II in Beawes Lex Mercat. (1752) 251 Pillaged, beaten, or evil⁓intreated. |
† 3. With difficulty, hardly.
Obs.| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 8 In þyne olde elde þat yuel can suffre Pouerte. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 81 Fulle evylle thow dourst hyme stond. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ii. viii, It is euyl sene said the knyghtes that thou art a true man that thou wolt not telle thy name. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccccxxxviii. 771 They shulde full yuell agone any farther to gette any forage. 1580 North Plutarch (1676) 819 Brutus could evil away with the tyranny. |
† 4. Badly, poorly, indifferently, insufficiently; not well.
evil at ease = ill at ease.
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 16119 (Cott.) Mi wyf es sumquat iuel at ess. c 1340 Ibid. 4422 (Trin.) Alas Ioseph..Euel is þe quit þi trewe seruyse. 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles iv. 52 Euyll be we worthy to welden oure hire. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. ix, Alle bare was the body..in clething evyl clad. 1475 Bk. Noblesse 30 No cheveteyn can not have..good men of armes eville paied. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon ix. 253, I am evyll contente. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xviii. 21 With them came other folkis of the countrey..with brede euyll bakyn. Ibid. I. lxxxiii. 105 They were but yuell payed. 1563 Homilies ii. Idolatry ii. (1859) 197 The East and West Churches, which agreed evil before..fell to utter enmity. 1587 Harrison England ii. xxi. (1877) i. 332 Sicke and evill at ease. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. 129 Horses..very leane and evill appoynted for service. |
† 5. Badly, defectively; imperfectly, unskilfully; also, incorrectly, wrongly.
Obs.| a 1000 Riddles xliv. 10 (Gr.) Gif se esne his hlaforde hyreð yfle. a 1250 Owl & Night. 1204 Ic wot if smithes sale vuele clenche. c 1300 Beket 404 So schal the pays of the londe wel uvele beon iholde. c 1340 Cursor M. 25828 (Fairf.) Qua-sim dos squa is iuel taȝt. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 93 Cankre..comeþ of a wounde yvel heelid. c 1450 Merlin iii. 46 Sirs ye knewe Merlin full euell. 1551 Robinson tr. More's Utop. Ded. Ep. (Arb.) 14 A good tale euel tolde. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 22 If it be shallowe in one place, and deepe in an other, it declares the grounde to be evill handled in the plowing. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 74 Shew me a reason why the Discord is euill taken here? 1629 Purchas Pilgrims II. 1032 These vessels are more wide than ours, being evil made. |
† 6. Badly, unfortunately, unhappily, unsuccessfully.
Obs.| 971 Blickl. Hom. 247 Þy læs wen sie þæt we yfele forweorþon. a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 387 (Gr.) Ðæt sceolde unc Adame yfele geweorðan ymb ðæt heofonrice. c 1340 Cursor M. 18278 (Fairf.) Evylle hast þou done thy-self to spede. c 1400 Rom. Rose 1067 Yvel mote they thryve & thee..These losengers ful of envye! 1401 Pol. Poems (1859) II. 97 Evel mot he spede, that beggith of the puple more than is nede. 1795 Robin Hood (Ritson 1795) I. 83 Yeffell mot he the, Seche thre strokes he me gafe. 1611 Bible 1 Chron. vii. 23 It went euill with his house. |
† 7. With
to become,
like, etc.
Obs.| c 1230 Hali Meid. 7 To don al & drehen þat him likeð ne sitte hit hire se uuele. a 1300 Cursor M. 548 (Gött.) Of thing men likis, euil or wele. c 1300 Beket 1179 Uvele bicom him to gon afote. 1540 Coverdale Fruitf. Less. Pref. Wks. (Parker Soc.) I. 201 How evil doth it become a believer to be ireful and greedy of vengeance. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iv. vii. 84 How euill it beseemes thee, To flatter Henry. |
8. Comb. a. With
agent-nouns, forming
ns., as
evil-liver,
evil-looker.
| 1846 Trench Mirac. xxxiii. (1862) 462 The ship of the Church,—encumbered with *evil-livers till it well nigh makes shipwreck altogether. 1887 Lady Bellairs Gossips w. Girls ii. 64 Do not delude yourself that..you will be able to reform a lover who has been an evil liver. |
| 1697 Evelyn Numism. ix. 302 Witches and *Evil-lookers as they call them. |
b. With
pres. pples., forming
adjs., as
evil-smelling; with
vbl. ns., forming
ns., as
evil-getting (
concr.),
evil-taking. Also
evil-liking, ill-favoured;
evil-sounding, harsh-sounding;
evil-willing.
| 1652 Bp. Hall Invis. World iii. §5 He [Satan] heartens us in *evil gettings under pretence of the opportunity of liberal almsgiving. |
| 1535 Coverdale Joel i. 18 The bullockes are very *euel likynge because they haue no pasture. |
| 1881 Besant & Rice Chapl. Fleet I. 187 They were here, crouched in this filthy, *evil-smelling place. |
| 1552 Huloet *Euil soundynge, absonus. |
| 1547 Homilies i. Salvation iii. (1859) 32 To avoid *evil taking and misunderstanding. |
c. With
pa. pples., forming
adjs. (
a) With sense ‘wickedly, wrongly’, as
evil-disposed,
evil-gotten,
evil-won. (
b) With sense ‘imperfectly, unskilfully’ (
= mis-), as
evil-fashioned,
evil-loved,
evil-ordered,
evil-pieced,
evil-shaped,
evil-shapen,
evil-sown,
evil-spun,
evil-taught. Also
evil-sained [see
sain],
lit. ‘ill-blessed’
i.e. accursed.
| 1563 Foxe in Latimer's Serm. & Rem. (1845) p. xix, He was tossed and turmoiled by *evil-disposed persons. 1854 J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) I. xxxvii. 571, I should, on the contrary have created the Tribunate, had I been hypocritical or evil-disposed. 1483 in Surtees Misc. (1890) 28 Breyerton, talȝer, has an ewell dyspossid woman to hys wyff. Ibid. John Herrot has avell dyssposid chylld. |
| c 1496 Serm. Episc. Puer. (W. de W.) B iij, *Euyll-fasshened garmentes & deuyllysshe shoon & slyppers of frensmen. |
| 1539 Taverner Erasm. Prov. 25 *Euyl gotten good go euyll awaye. |
| 1552 Huloet *Euil loued, antiphalus. |
| 1526 Househ. Ord. 235 That the napery be not torne nor rent or otherwise *evill-ordered. |
| 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 307 Friendship, that is but *evill peeced, will not ioine close, but falleth asunder againe. |
| 1588 A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. K iv, Away with luther and Caluine and sic *euilsained sanctes. |
| 1832 Motherwell Poems (1847) 17 And sway to their purpose Each *evil-shaped mood. |
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. xxxii. (1495) 432 The pecok hath an..*euyll shapen heed. |
| a 1541 Wyatt Poet. Wks. (1861) 170 The gain is hers, the loss is mine: Of *evil-sown seed such is the fruit. |
| 1388 Songs Costume (Percy Soc.) 45 Ware of *evel-spon waste. |
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xx. 185 ‘Sire *euel-ytauȝte elde’ quod I ‘vnhende go with the’! |
| 1583 Semphill Ball. 210 Ane carling of the Quene of Phareis, That *ewill win geir to elphyne careis. |
▪ V. † ˈevil, v.1 Obs. Forms: 1
yfelan,
-ian, 2
uvelien, 3
i-uvelen, 4
evel-,
yl(en, 5
evel,
-yl.
[ME. uvelien (ü), OE. yfelian, f. yfel, evil a.] 1. trans. To do evil to; to harm or injure; to ill-treat; to affect with disease.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. lxxxii[i]. 3 And ehtunga ealle hæfdon, hu hi þine halᵹan her yfeladan. Ibid. cvi[i]. 38 Næs heora neata nan ᵹeyfelad. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 15 Ne scal us na mon uuelien þer uore. c 1205 Lay. 31774 ær þe uisc i-eten weore i-uueled was þe king. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 1843 Thou shalte lyve and wel fare, Yf the nothing evylle. |
2. intr. a. To grow bad (morally).
b. To fall ill; to be ill or sick.
| 1002–23 Wulfstan Addr. to Eng. (ed. Napier) 156 Ðeos woruld..sceal..ær Antecristes tocyme yfeljan swiðe. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 8032 She euylde, And deyde sunner þan she wylde. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 81 In Ynde beeþ men of fyue cubites long, þat eueleþ nouȝt, noþer ȝildeþ vp þe breeþ. 14.. tr. Higden (Rolls) VII. 516 (Harl. MS. 1900) The duke eueled so in the wey. |