Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hellacious” come from?

hellacious (English) comes from English hell, from Middle English helle, from Old English hell, from Proto-West Germanic hallju, from Proto-Germanic haljō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

hellacious (English): horrible, awful, hellish, agonizing; nasty,...

Definitions

  1. horrible, awful, hellish, agonizing; nasty,...

Ancestry of “hellacious”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhellA place or situation of great suffering in life;...
2Middle Englishhelle—
3Old Englishhellhell
4Proto-West Germanichalljuthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
5Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “hellacious”

  • hellaciously
  • hellaciousness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →