Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A place or situation of great suffering in life;...

Ancestry of “hell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhelle—
2Old Englishhellhell
3Proto-West Germanichalljuthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
4Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “hell”

  • hellish
  • hellhound
  • hellishly
  • hellbent
  • hellacious
  • hellcat
  • hellishness
  • rakehell
  • rakehelly
  • hellraiser
  • hellspawn
  • hellbender
  • hellraising
  • hellscape
  • hellbound
  • hellwards
  • hellaciously
  • hellbroth
  • hellbox
  • hellman
  • hellburner
  • hellhouse
  • hellkite
  • hell-bent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →