Where does “Heck” come from?
Heck (English) comes from English Hell, from German hellen, from Middle High German hëllen, from Old High German hëllan, from Proto-Germanic hellaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- — to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot.
Ancestry of “Heck”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Hell | — |
| 2 | German | hellen | to brighten |
| 3 | Middle High German | hëllen | — |
| 4 | Old High German | hëllan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hellaną | to resound, make a sound |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₁- | to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot |