proper name of the supreme evil spirit in Christianity, Old English Satan, from Late Latin Satan (in Vulgate in Old Testament only), from Greek Satanas, from Hebrew satan "adversary, one who plots against another," from satan "to show enmity to, oppose, plot against," from root s-t-n "one who opposes, obstructs, or acts as an adversary."
In Septuagint (Greek) usually translated as diabolos "slanderer," literally "one who throws (something) across" the path of another (see devil (n.)), though epiboulos "plotter" is used once.
In biblical sources the Hebrew term the satan describes an adversarial role. It is not the name of a particular character. Although Hebrew storytellers as early as the sixth century B.C.E. occasionally introduced a supernatural character whom they called the satan, what they meant was any one of the angels sent by God for the specific purpose of blocking or obstructing human activity. [Elaine Pagels, "The Origin of Satan," 1995]
雙語例句
1. In Milton's poem, Satan, even after his fall, dimly reflects his former glory.
在彌爾頓的詩中, 撒旦即便失敗后, 也能依稀顯出昔日的榮光.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
2. The name of Satan himself did not frighten her half so much.
連撒旦本人也不會像他這樣叫人害怕呢!
來自飄（部分）
3. Call in Beelzebub to cast out Satan.
叫魔王趕撒旦;召鬼驅(qū)鬼.
來自辭典例句
4. But what distinguished the physician's ecstasy from Satan's was the trait of wonder in it!
不過,那醫(yī)生的狂喜同撒旦的區(qū)別在于,其中尚有驚奇的成分!
來自英漢文學(xué) - 紅字
5. Satan dropped it there, I take it, intending a scurrilous jest against your reverence.