Where does “hell” come from?

hell (German) comes from Middle High German hel, from Old High German hel, from Proto-Germanic halliz, from Proto-Germanic hellaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- — to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot.

hell (German): clear, bright, light

Definitions

  1. clear, bright, light

Ancestry of “hell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanhelresounding, loud, shining, bright; tired, weak
2Old High Germanhelresounding
3Proto-Germanichallizresounding
4Proto-Germanichellanąto resound, make a sound
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelh₁-to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot

Words derived from “hell”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hellaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic halliz →