Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “helle fire” come from?

helle fire (Middle English) comes from Old English hellefȳr, from Old English fȳr, from Old English feor, from Proto-Germanic ferrai, from Proto-Indo-European per-nóy, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “helle fire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhellefȳr—
2Old Englishfȳrfire
3Old EnglishfeorAlternative form of feorr; far
4Proto-Germanicferraifar, distant
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-nóy—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “helle fire”

  • hellfire
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →