Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “helle” come from?

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

Ancestry of “helle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhellhell
2Proto-West Germanichalljuthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
3Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “helle”

  • hell
  • hellish
  • hellhound
  • hellishly
  • hellbent
  • hellacious
  • hellcat
  • hellishness
  • hellraiser
  • hellspawn
  • hellbender
  • hellraising
  • hellscape
  • hellbound
  • hellwards
  • hellaciously
  • hellbroth
  • hellbox
  • hellman
  • hellburner
  • hellhouse
  • hellkite
  • hell-born
  • unhellish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →