--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Aigius" <segijus@...> wrote:
> Can it be that Italian word DIAVOLO, meaning DEVIL, Russian word
> DJAVOL, meaning DEVIL, English word DEVIL are related to
> Lithuanian word DIEVULIS (DIEVAS + suffix -ul), meaning GOD?
> What is etymology of these DIAVOLO, DJAVOL and DEVIL?
Sorry, there is no etymological relation whatsoever here.
Lithuanian die~vas reflects PIE *deiwo- 'god, heaven'.
The English word devil and its cognates in other IE languages
ultimately derive from the Late Greek term diabolos 'slanderer'
(from the Greek verb diaballein 'to slander', formed on dia-
'across, through' + ballein 'to hurl, throw' and, thus, literally
meaning 'to throw across'). Late Greek diabolos is a scriptural loan-
translation (or calque) of Hebrew s'at.an 'adversary', from the root
s't.n- 'to oppose, obstruct, act as an adversary'. In many Biblical
passages the opposition denoted by this root can take the form
of "slander" as is the case with the Greek verb calque diaballein.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=satan&searchmode=term
"In biblical sources the Hebrew term the satan describes an
adversarial role. It is not the name of a particular character.
Although Hebrew storytellers as early as the sixth century B.C.E.
occasionally introduced a supernatural character whom they called
the satan, what they meant was any one of the angels sent by God for
the specific purpose of blocking or obstructing human activity.
[Elaine Pagels, "The Origin of Satan," 1995]"
Hope this helps,
Francesco