Plural of evil; things that are morally wrong, cause harm, or are considered wicked or sinful.
From Old English 'yfel', related to German 'Übel'. The root may trace to Proto-Germanic '*ubilaz' meaning 'bad' or 'ill'. The shift from 'ill' or 'bad' to 'morally wrong' happened over time as the word took on stronger ethical meaning.
The word 'evil' originally just meant 'bad' or 'unfortunate' (like a medical evil—an illness), but over centuries it became specifically associated with intentional moral wrongness. This shows how words gradually become more extreme as we use them more dramatically!
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