Where does “hel” come from?

hel (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse Hel, from Proto-Germanic haljō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

hel (Icelandic): hell (underworld), death

Definitions

  1. hell (underworld), death

Ancestry of “hel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseHeldeath
2Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “hel”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haljō →Every word from Old Norse Hel →
hel — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer