What does deviled mean?
"Deviled" is an adjective describing food that has been prepared with fiery or sharply pungent seasonings, most often hot spices like cayenne pepper, mustard, or black pepper. The word is best known from classic dishes such as deviled eggs — hard-boiled eggs whose yolks are mixed with mustard and spices — as well as deviled ham and deviled crab, preparations popular in American cooking since the nineteenth century. The name derives from the idea that such intensely spicy food was hot enough to be associated with the devil, reflecting an old culinary tradition in which strongly seasoned dishes earned this label. The adjective is typically placed directly before the noun it modifies, as in "a plate of deviled eggs," and appears mainly in cooking contexts and menus. In British English the traditional spelling is "devilled," with a double L, though both forms are now widely understood. Beyond the kitchen, "deviled" can occasionally describe something mischievous or fiendishly difficult, though this figurative use is far less common than its culinary one.
(Of food) highly seasoned with hot or pungent spices such as cayenne pepper or mustard; also, figuratively, wicked or fiendish in character.
"For the buffet, she made deviled eggs and a spread of deviled ham on rye."
Almost always used attributively, immediately before a noun. Spelled "devilled" in traditional British English.
Past tense and past participle of the verb "devil": to prepare food with hot, pungent seasoning.
"The chef deviled the crab cakes with a generous pinch of cayenne."
This verbal use is uncommon outside cooking contexts.
Those party-favorite "deviled" eggs got their name because the fiery mustard-and-cayenne filling was considered hot enough to be fit for the devil himself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deviled
"Deviled" derives from the noun "devil," which comes via Old English "dēofol" and Latin "diabolus" from Greek "diabolos," meaning slanderer or accuser. The culinary use arose in English in the eighteenth century, when foods seasoned with hot spices were said to be prepared "deviled" — spicy enough to suit the devil. From this usage grew fixed dish names such as deviled ham and deviled eggs. Cognates sharing the same ultimate root include "diabolical" and "diabolic."
How deviled is actually used
"Deviled" is chiefly used attributively before a noun (deviled eggs, deviled ham) and belongs mostly to culinary register. British English traditionally spells it "devilled" with a double L, though "deviled" is now widely accepted everywhere. The figurative sense is informal and relatively uncommon compared with the culinary one.
Easily confused with deviled
"Develed" is simply a variant spelling sometimes seen in American English for the same culinary sense, while "deviled" is the standard form in both British and American usage.
"Devilish" means wicked, mischievous, or extreme, whereas "deviled" primarily describes food seasoned with hot spices.