Where does “hella” come from?

hella (Old High German) comes from Proto-West Germanic hallju, from Proto-Germanic haljō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

Ancestry of “hella”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanichalljuthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
2Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haljō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hallju →