Etymology Explorer › Middle Low German

Where does “helle” come from?

helle (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon hel, from Proto-West Germanic hail, from Proto-Germanic hailaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos.

Ancestry of “helle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonhelhell; whole, hale; omen
2Proto-West Germanichailhealthy, sound; whole; omen, portent
3Proto-Germanichailazwhole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,...
4Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂ilos—

Words derived from “helle”

  • elle
  • elles
  • eļ
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →