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evil eye

noun
/ˌiːvl̩‿ˈaɪ/UK/ˌiv(ə)l̩‿ˈaɪ/US

Etymology

From Middle English ivel eie (“evil eye; envy”), from Old English eage yfel, a calque of Latin oculus malus, from oculus (“eye”) + malus (“bad, evil, wicked; destructive, hurtful, injurious; unfavourable, unlucky”).

  1. inherited from eage yfel
  2. inherited from ivel eie — “evil eye; envy”

Definitions

  1. A wicked look conveying dislike or envy that in many cultures is believed to be able to…

    A wicked look conveying dislike or envy that in many cultures is believed to be able to cause bad luck or injury; also, the ability to cause bad luck or injury through such a look, supposed to be possessed by some people.

    • an amulet to protect children from the evil eye.
    • Each of the young men, in saluting the new-comer, made mechanically, and with care to conceal it from him, a slight gesture or sign with their fingers; for Arbaces, the Egyptian, was supposed to possess the fatal gift of the evil eye.

  2. The charm used to ward off the evil eye

    The charm used to ward off the evil eye; a nazar.

    • Isma laughed, but Hira drew her shoulders in tighter, reached out to touch the evil eye that hung on her wall and which Isma had always assumed to be merely decorative.

  3. A look conveying disapproval, envy, hostility, etc.

    • Near-synonym: side-eye

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for evil eye. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA