Beelzebub

//biːˈɛlzɪbʌb// name

name ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A Canaanite deity worshipped at Ekron.

    "But when the Phariſees heard it, they ſaid, This fellow doeth not caſt out deuils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the deuils."

  2. 2
    Satan, the Devil.

    "Mamma mia, let me go / Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me!"

Example

More examples

"You need Beelzebub to exorcise the Devil."

Etymology

First attested as Old English Belzebub, from Latin Beelzebūb, the Vulgate's form of Ancient Greek Βεελζεβούλ (Beelzeboúl), from Hebrew בעל זבוב (ba‘al-z'vúv, “fly-lord”), mentioned in 2 Kings chapter 1 as “the god of Ekron”.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.