Mephistopheles

[ mef-uh-stof-uh-leez ]

noun

1. Medieval Demonology. one of the seven chief devils and the tempter of Faust.

Mephistopheles

/ ˌmɛfɪˈstɒfɪˌliːz; ˌmɛfɪstəˈfiːlɪən; məˈfɪstəʊ /

noun

1. a devil in medieval mythology and the one to whom Faust sold his soul in the Faust legend

Mephistopheles

1. In the drama Faustby Goethe , a devil who tempts Faust into selling his soul to the powers of darkness. Mephistopheles also appears, with his name spelled Mephistophilis , in the sixteenth-century English play Doctor Faustus , by Christopher Marlowe.

Derived Forms

• Mephistophelean, adjective

Other Words From

• Mephis·to·pheli·an Mephis·to·phele·an [‑st, uh, -, fee, -lee-, uh, n], adjective

Example Sentences

But these kids make for wan enemies, after the Mephistopheles Berezovsky almost too small to pick on.

From The Daily Beast

N is for Ben Nelson, who, but for the grace of Lieberman, would have been Mephistopheles-in-chief.

From The Daily Beast

He stood with one arm akimbo, the other resting on the table, and grinned like a vulgar Mephistopheles.

From Project Gutenberg

"Let me be your banker, dear Miss Warrender," whispered the aged Mephistopheles who stood behind her chair.

From Project Gutenberg

In short, in less than half an hour he returned with our old acquaintances, brutus and mephistopheles.

From Project Gutenberg

To work this scheme mephistopheles required a beautiful large new tent; the serpentine man bought it.

From Project Gutenberg

He could see nothing at that distance but the dark body of mephistopheles passing at intervals between him and the white tent.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• barbarian
• ogre