Where does “helvete” come from?

helvete (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse helvíti, from Old Norse viti, from Proto-Germanic wītiją, from Proto-Indo-European weyd- — to see.

helvete (Norwegian Bokmål): Hell; a place of suffering for the damned; A...

Definitions

  1. Hell; a place of suffering for the damned; A...

Ancestry of “helvete”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsehelvítihell
2Old Norsevitiindicator; token, mark, signal; beacon
3Proto-Germanicwītijąpunishment
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wītiją →Every word from Old Norse viti →