devil devil

noun

An evil spirit in traditional Aboriginal belief.

First used 19th c.
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Meanings

noundevil devil (plural devil devils)

plural devil devils · alternative debil-debil · alternative devil-devil

  1. AustraliaAn evil spirit in traditional Aboriginal belief.First known use 19th c.

    But his lubra was there: she said he had gone away on some devil-devil business.

    1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 74
    1 more example

    She said they had to hide from the bad people because they might be devil-devils in disguise.

    2006, Alexis Wright, Carpentaria, Giramondo, published 2012, page 282

Origin

Reduplicated form of devil; originally in Australian Pidgin English.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

devil devil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devil%20devil

MLA

“devil devil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devil%20devil. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “devil devil,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devil%20devil.

Source: devil devil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.