E 0313          EVIL

The English word "evil" is of Germanic origin.

H 0090           א ו י ל

Concept of root: evil

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

א ו י ל

ewil

evil

Related English words

evil

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

א ו י ל 

ewil

evil

e v l

English

evil

evil

e v l

Middle Dutch

evel, oevel, ovel, uvel

evel, uvel, ovel, üvel

evil

e v l

Dutch

euvel

œvel

evil

e v l

German

übel

übel

evil

u v l

 

 

Hebrew *EWIL --- *EWIL Proto-Germanic

 

 

The Hebrew word indicates several meanings, such as "mad, wicked, evil" and only the first of these is not found in the scope of the actual English word "evil". But some scholars refer meanings like "foolish, silly, stupid", for which it is used in Modern Hebrew and that would leave "evil" out. In German "übel" usually does not indicate a high degree of wickedness , and so the term "Übeltäter" often is used in a rather joking way. This brings the value of the Germanic words somewhat nearer to that of the Hebrew one.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. We do not have evidence from other Semitic languages to make a hypothesis for a root.

 

Note:
  • English. This time English is the nearest to Hebrew. "Evil" comes from Old English "yfel" via Middle English "ivel" or "evel". Interesting is that the modern word is even more like the Hebrew one. Little shifts occur during the lifetime of spoken languages.

     

    Sometimes it is supposed that the origin of "evil" lies in a Indo-European root "*upo", saying both "up" and "under". This is then explained as "evil" to mean "exceeding one’s limit". Fortunately the similarity with Hebrew "ewil" frees us from this thought.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The Germanic words of this entry all open with a vowel, that is often "E", but in other cases has especially "U" or "Ü": Old Saxon "uvil", Old High German "ubil" , Gothic "ubils" and modern German "übel". The impression is that the here shown choice to narrow the vowel to "Ü" leads to the shaping of the consonant "B" instead of "V" . Thus this development is specific and deviates from the original form.

     

    The second vowel, frequently "corresponding to the second vowel in Hebrew "ewil" in Old English "yfel", between Old Saxon "uvil" and English "evil", weakened into a very short "E". Such an "E" is also present in Middle Dutch and Dutch, but there it is caused by the strength of the first vowel. It is quite possible that the "U"-like vowels and the diphthongs that carry "U" or "O", are a natural development out of the original W" like the "Waw" in Semitic and not always left space for the original opening vowel "E" that in various cases became absorbed. Presumably Proto-Germanic had "*E W I L-"

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. We do not have evidence from outside Germanic to make a hypothesis for a root. Hittite in "hupp-, huwapp = to mistreat" anyhow lacks the final consonant" L " that seems essential.

 

 

 

 
"...the town, to which was given the name Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the language of all the world on the face of which He dispersed them. GENESIS 11,9"
 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: Monday 9 July 2012 at 12.52.09