Having a malicious, wicked, or cruel nature; possessing an evil disposition or intentions.
Compound adjective from 'evil' (Old English 'yfel') plus 'hearted' (from 'heart,' Old English 'heorte'), where 'heart' traditionally represents emotion, intention, and moral character. This creates an adjective describing one's inner nature.
The use of 'heart' to represent moral character goes back thousands of years across many cultures—hearts on Valentine's cards represent love, but historically the heart was thought to be the seat of courage, wisdom, and morality itself.
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