A small devil; a devilish creature or imp; a minor infernal being.
From 'devil' plus '-kin' (from Middle Dutch kinne, Middle Low German kinne meaning 'child' or 'descendant'). The '-kin' suffix diminishes and often adds affection: lambkin, pumpkin, manikin.
The '-kin' suffix entered English through Dutch and German, showing how English borrows even its word-building tools. 'Pumpkin' comes from this Dutch diminutive pattern, not from anything originally English.
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