Etymology Explorer › Finnish

Where does “helvetti” come from?

helvetti (Finnish) comes from Swedish helvete, from Old Norse helvíti, from Old Norse viti, from Proto-Germanic wītiją, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

helvetti (Finnish): hell; hell, devil; damn

Definitions

  1. hell; hell, devil; damn

Ancestry of “helvetti”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SwedishhelveteHell; the place where sinners are said to go...
2Old Norsehelvíti—
3Old Norsevitiindicator; token, mark, signal; beacon
4Proto-Germanicwītijąpunishment
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “helvetti”

  • helvetillinen
  • helvettimäinen
  • helvetinkone
  • helvetisti
  • helvet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →