Evil eye

Evil eye
Evil E*vil ([=e]"v'l) a. [OE. evel, evil, ifel, uvel, AS. yfel; akin to OFries, evel, D. euvel, OS. & OHG. ubil, G. ["u]bel, Goth. ubils, and perh. to E. over.] 1. Having qualities tending to injury and mischief; having a nature or properties which tend to badness; mischievous; not good; worthless or deleterious; poor; as, an evil beast; and evil plant; an evil crop. [1913 Webster]

A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit. --Matt. vii. 18. [1913 Webster]

2. Having or exhibiting bad moral qualities; morally corrupt; wicked; wrong; vicious; as, evil conduct, thoughts, heart, words, and the like. [1913 Webster]

Ah, what a sign it is of evil life, When death's approach is seen so terrible. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous; as, evil tidings; evil arrows; evil days. [1913 Webster]

Because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel. --Deut. xxii. 19. [1913 Webster]

The owl shrieked at thy birth -- an evil sign. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Evil news rides post, while good news baits. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

{Evil eye}, an eye which inflicts injury by some magical or fascinating influence. It is still believed by the ignorant and superstitious that some persons have the supernatural power of injuring by a look. [1913 Webster]

It almost led him to believe in the evil eye. --J. H. Newman.

{Evil speaking}, speaking ill of others; calumny; censoriousness.

{The evil one}, the Devil; Satan. [1913 Webster]

Note: Evil is sometimes written as the first part of a compound (with or without a hyphen). In many cases the compounding need not be insisted on. Examples: Evil doer or evildoer, evil speaking or evil-speaking, evil worker, evil wishing, evil-hearted, evil-minded.

Syn: Mischieveous; pernicious; injurious; hurtful; destructive; wicked; sinful; bad; corrupt; perverse; wrong; vicious; calamitous. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • EVIL EYE — (Heb. עַיִן הָרָע, ayin ha ra; lit., the eye of the evil ; Aram. עֵינָא בִּישָׁא, eina bisha), a widespread belief that some persons may produce malevolent effects on others by looking at them, based on the supposed power of some eyes to bewitch… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • evil eye — evil eyed, adj. 1. a look thought capable of inflicting injury or bad luck on the person at whom it is directed. 2. the power, superstitiously attributed to certain persons, of inflicting injury or bad luck by such a look. [bef. 1000; ME, OE] * * …   Universalium

  • Evil eye — E vil eye See {Evil eye} under {Evil}, a. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • evil eye — n. 1. a look believed by some to be able to harm or bewitch the one stared at 2. the power to cast such a look: With the …   English World dictionary

  • Evil eye — Nazars, charms used to ward off the evil eye. The evil eye is a look that is believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. The term also refers to the power… …   Wikipedia

  • evil eye —    A demonic power of causing illness, misfortune, calamity, and death through the eyes. Evil eye beliefs are universal and date to ancient times. The oldest recorded reference to the evil eye appears in the cuneiform texts of the Sumerians,… …   Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology

  • evil eye — noun a look that is believed to have the power of inflicting harm • Hypernyms: ↑look, ↑looking, ↑looking at * * * noun : the glance of a person that is believed to be capable of inflicting injury many people are reputed to … cause harm by staring …   Useful english dictionary

  • evil eye — 1) N SING: the N Some people believe that the evil eye is a magical power to cast a spell on someone or something by looking at them, so that bad things happen to them. 2) N SING: usu the N If someone gives you the evil eye, they look at you in… …   English dictionary

  • evil eye —    The belief that certain people can inflict disease or death simply by a glance was accepted by the educated throughout medieval and Elizabethan times, as it had been by Pliny and other classical authorities. Scientists held that vision was an… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Evil Eye (comics) — Evil Eye was a comic strip in the UK comic, Whoopee! .The Evil Eye was just that; a disembodied eye that floated in the air, trying to get people to do bad things by zapping them with some sort of evil ray, and taking delight in the mischief.… …   Wikipedia

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