Bedevilment

/bɪˈdɛvəlmənt/ noun

Definition

The act or state of being bedeviled; confusion, trouble, or mischief caused by persistent harassment.

Etymology

From bedevil + -ment (a suffix forming nouns from verbs, indicating action or result). Created in English by adding the productive -ment suffix to bedevil.

Kelly Says

The noun bedevilment is fascinating because it's almost never used—we say 'the bedeviling' or 'the trouble' instead, showing that not every grammatically possible word form actually survives in actual usage.

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