Where does “helheim” come from?

helheim (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk hel, from Old Norse Hel, from Proto-Germanic haljō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

helheim (Norwegian Nynorsk): death realm

Definitions

  1. death realm

Ancestry of “helheim”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskhelonly used in with preposition i, "in, to": i hel,...
2Old NorseHeldeath
3Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haljō →Every word from Old Norse Hel →