Toward the devil; in the direction of wickedness or evil.
Compound of devil and -ward (from Old English '-weard,' meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'). The -ward suffix produces directional adverbs like 'homeward' and 'upward.'
The suffix '-ward' reveals how Anglo-Saxon English used direction as metaphor—'devilward' means physically or morally toward evil, while 'heavenward' means toward goodness, showing how space and morality intertwine in language.
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