Where does “hellhound” come from?
hellhound (English) comes from English hound, from Middle English hound, from Old English hund, from Proto-West Germanic hund, from Proto-Germanic hundaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwn̥tós, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ — dog.
hellhound (English): A demonic dog of hell, typically of unnatural...
Definitions
- A demonic dog of hell, typically of unnatural...
Ancestry of “hellhound”, step by step
hellhound traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hound
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hound | A dog, particularly a breed with a good sense of... |
| 2 | Middle English | hound | dog, hound; A strong term of abuse, especially... |
| 3 | Old English | hund | dog; hundred |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hund | dog |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hundaz | dog |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱwn̥tós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱwṓ | dog |
via English Hell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hell | Any of various places so named |
| 2 | German | hellen | to brighten |
| 3 | Middle High German | hëllen | to sound, to resound, to ring out; to echo |
| 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 |