Daredevil

How to spell daredevil

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce daredevil

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does daredevil mean?

1. nounA person who enjoys taking dangerous risks or performing bold, reckless feats.
2. adjectiveRecklessly bold or daring, showing a willingness to take dangerous risks.

Daredevil in a sentence

• noun

  The young daredevil climbed the bridge without any safety gear.

• adjective

  His daredevil approach to skiing left the instructors anxious.

• noun

  Every motorcycle stunt show needs a fearless daredevil to draw the crowds.

• adjective

  The film is full of daredevil stunts performed without any safety net.

Where does daredevil come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Daredevil is a transparent English compound, joining the verb 'dare', meaning to be bold enough to take a risk, with the noun 'devil', used loosely to mean a reckless or wild spirit rather than the literal demon. The word emerged in the late 1700s and was originally written as a description of someone so bold that he would 'dare the devil' himself, that is, defy even the powers of hell. The verb 'dare' descends from Old English 'durran', meaning to have the courage to do something, while 'devil' comes through Old English 'deofol' from Latin 'diabolus' and ultimately Greek 'diabolos', literally 'slanderer' or 'accuser'. By the nineteenth century the term had softened from a fierce boast into an admiring label for stunt performers and thrill-seekers. The spelling is reassuringly regular: it is simply 'dare' and 'devil' run together, with no hidden letters, which is why the only real trap is doubling the central consonant in 'devil'.

How the word is built

• dare (to be bold, to risk)
• devil (reckless or daring spirit)