Where does “hell” come from?
Hell comes from Old English hell, from Proto-Germanic haljō, which derives from Proto-Indo-European ḱel-, a root meaning to conceal or hide.
hell (English): A place or situation of great suffering in life;...
Definitions
- A place or situation of great suffering in life;...
Ancestry of “hell”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | helle | Hell the Christian place of damnation |
| 2 | Old English | hell | hell |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hallju | the netherworld, the underworld, hell |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | haljō | the netherworld, the underworld, hell |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
Words derived from “hell”