Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hell-bent” come from?

hell-bent (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.

hell-bent (English): Recklessly determined to do or achieve something

Definitions

  1. Recklessly determined to do or achieve something

Ancestry of “hell-bent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHell—
2Germanhellento brighten
3Middle High Germanhëllen—
4Old High Germanhëllan—
5Proto-Germanichellanąto resound, make a sound
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelh₁-to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot

Words derived from “hell-bent”

  • hellbent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- →