Mephistopheles

• Mephisto
• Mephostopheles (dated)

Apparently a corrupted Greek compound.^[1] The Greek particle of negation (μη (mi)) and the Greek word for love or loving (φίλος (fílos)) are the first and last terms of the compound but the middle term is more doubtful. For the middle term, three meanings have been noticed and three different etymologies have been proposed: 1) not loving light (φως (fos); the old form of the word being Mephostopheles), 2) not loving Faust, 3) akin to mephitic, a term which refers to the poisonous vapors arising from the earth in certain places destructive to human life.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˌmɛ.fɪˈstɒ.fɪ.liːz/

• Audio (Southern England):

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Mephistopheles

1. The Devil to whom Faust sold his soul in the legend.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:Satan

   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, , →OCLC, part I, page 215:

     I let him run on, this papier-maché Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe.

   • 2007, “Videotape”, in In Rainbows, performed by Radiohead:

     When I'm at the pearly gates / This'll be on my videotape, my videotape / When Mephistopheles is just beneath / And he's reaching up to grab me

• Mephistophelean

Mephistopheles

1. A fiendish person, especially one who tricks someone into following a destructive or disastrous course of action; a tempter.
   • 1989, Tim Smith (lyrics and music), “Fast Robert”, in On Land and in the Sea, performed by Cardiacs:

     Poison in my idle mind makes quick work for the Mephistopheles, / Who quickly makes his excuses

• Mephistopheles on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Mephisto

• IPA^(key): /mefɪsˈtoːfelɛs/
• Hyphenation: Me‧phis‧to‧phe‧les; pre-1996: Me‧phi‧sto‧phe‧les

• Audio:

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Mephistopheles m (proper noun, strong, genitive Mephistopheles)

1. Mephistopheles

• mephistophelisch

• “Mephistopheles” in Duden online
• “Mephistopheles” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache