Where does “helle” come from?

helle (Middle High German) comes from Old High German hellia, 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 High Germanhelliahell, afterlife
2Proto-West Germanichalljuthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
3Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “helle”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haljō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hallju →