# The Devil’s Dictionary — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.

- [Author's Preface](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/author-s-preface.md): The author explains the origin and publication history of The Devil's Dictionary, noting its serialization starting in 1881, the forced title change to The Cynic's Word Book due to religious scruples, the subsequent floo
- [The Devil's Dictionary](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/the-devil-s-dictionary.md): This chapter presents a collection of satirical definitions that critique human folly, hypocrisy, and the misuse of language, often with a cynical and humorous tone.
- [A](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/a.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter 'A', offering cynical and humorous commentary on human nature, society, politics, religion, and language.
- [B](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/b.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter B, including 'Beggars', 'Behavior', 'Belladonna', 'Benedictines', 'Benefactor', 'Berenice's Hair', 'Bigamy', 'Bigot', 'Billingsg
- [C](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/c.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter C, including Caaba, Cabbage, Calamity, Callous, Calumnus, Camel, Cannibal, Cannon, Canonicals, Capital, Capital Punishment, Carm
- [D](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/d.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter D, including 'Dictator,' 'Dictionary,' 'Die,' 'Digestion,' 'Diplomacy,' 'Disabuse,' 'Discriminate,' 'Discussion,' 'Disobedience,
- [E](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/e.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter 'E', including 'Eat', 'Eavesdrop', 'Economy', 'Edible', 'Editor', 'Education', 'Effect', 'Egotist', 'Ejection', 'Elector', 'Elec
- [F](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/f.md): This chapter presents definitions and verses for words beginning with the letter F, including Folly, Fool, Force, Foreordination, Fork, Forma Pauperis, Frankalmoigne, Freebooter, Freedom, Freemasons, Friendless, Friendsh
- [G](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/g.md): This chapter presents a series of cynical definitions for words beginning with the letter G, including Gallows, Gargoyle, Garter, Genealogy, Generous, Genteel, Geographer, Geology, Ghost, Ghoul, Grapeshot, Grave, Gravita
- [H](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/h.md): This chapter presents a series of cynical definitions for words beginning with 'H', including 'Harangue', 'Harbor', 'Harmonists', 'Hatred', 'Head-Money', 'Heart', 'Heat', 'Heathen', 'Heaven', 'Hebrew', 'Helpmate', 'Hemp'
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/i.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions and verses that critique religion, hypocrisy, human folly, and social conventions, including entries on 'Giaour,' 'Infidel,' 'Infralapsarian,' 'Ingrate,' 'Injury,' 
- [J](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/j.md): This chapter presents definitions for words beginning with the letter J, including humorous and satirical entries on the letter J itself, jealousy, jesters, Jews-harps, joss-sticks, and justice, often critiquing human fo
- [K](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/k.md): This chapter presents definitions for words beginning with the letter K, including 'Kiss', 'Kleptomaniac', 'Knight', 'Koran', and the letter itself. It also includes a lengthy entry on 'King's Evil' that traces the histo
- [L](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/l.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with 'L', including 'Liar', 'Liberty', 'Life', 'Lighthouse', 'Limb', 'Litigant', 'Litigation', 'Liver', 'LL.D.', 'Learning', 'Lecturer', 'Legacy
- [M](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/m.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter M, including 'Mace,' 'Mad,' 'Magdalene,' 'Magic,' 'Magnet,' 'Magnetism,' 'Mine,' 'Minister,' 'Minor,' 'Minstrel,' 'Miracle,' 'Mi
- [N](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/n.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter N, including 'Nectar,' 'Negro,' 'Neighbor,' 'Nepotism,' 'Newtonian,' 'Nihilist,' 'Nirvana,' 'Nobleman,' 'Noise,' 'Nominate,' 'No
- [O](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/o.md): The chapter presents cynical definitions for words beginning with 'O', including Oath, Oblivion, Observatory, Obsessed, Obsolete, Obstinate, Occasional, Occident, Ocean, Offensive, Old, Oleaginous, Olympian, Omen, Once, 
- [P](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/p.md): This chapter presents a series of cynical definitions for words beginning with the letter P, including 'Pig,' 'Pilgrim,' 'Piracy,' 'Pity,' 'Plagiarism,' 'Politician,' 'Politics,' 'Poverty,' 'Prayer,' 'Prejudice,' 'Presid
- [Q](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/q.md): This chapter presents cynical definitions for words beginning with Q, including Queen, Quill, Quiver, Quixotic, Quorum, Quotation, and Quotient, each satirizing politics, language, human folly, and social conventions.
- [R](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/r.md): This chapter presents a series of cynical definitions for words beginning with the letter R, including 'Reverence,' 'Revolution,' 'Riches,' 'Righteousness,' 'Romance,' and 'Rubbish,' among others. The entries satirize po
- [S](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/s.md): This chapter of 'The Devil's Dictionary' presents satirical definitions for words beginning with 'S', including Sabbath, Sacerdotalist, Sacrament, Sacred, Safety-Clutch, Saint, Salacity, Salamander, Serial, Severalty, Sh
- [T](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/t.md): This chapter presents cynical definitions for words beginning with 'T', including 'Tights', 'Tomb', 'Tope', 'Tortoise', 'Tree', 'Trial', 'Table d'Hôte', 'Tail', 'Take', 'Talk', 'Tariff', 'Technicality', 'Tedium', 'Teetot
- [U](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/u.md): This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter U, including 'Ubiquity,' 'Ugliness,' 'Ultimatum,' 'Un-American,' 'Unction,' 'Understanding,' 'Unitarian,' 'Universalist,' 'Urban
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/v.md): This chapter presents cynical definitions of Valor, Vanity, Virtues, Vituperation, and Vote, each satirizing human folly, self-deception, and the absurdities of war, politics, and social pretension.
- [W](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/w.md): This chapter presents definitions for words beginning with W, including satirical takes on Wall Street, war, weather, weddings, werewolves, widows, wine, wit, witches, women, and worms'-meat. Bierce's characteristic cyni
- [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/x.md): This chapter discusses the letter X, its resistance to spelling reform, its symbolic uses for ten dollars and as an abbreviation for Christ, and its representation of woman's mind in psychological algebra. It notes that 
- [Y](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/y.md): This chapter defines words beginning with Y, including 'Yankee,' 'Year,' 'Yesterday,' 'Yoke,' and 'Youth,' each with satirical or poetic commentary on American identity, time, marriage, and the idealized past.
- [Z](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/z.md): The chapter presents definitions for words beginning with Z, including Zany, Zanzibari, Zeal, Zenith, Zeus, Zigzag, and Zoology, each offering satirical commentary on human behavior, religion, politics, and science.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters