Where does “helvíti” come from?

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

helvíti (Old Norse): hell

Definitions

  1. hell

Ancestry of “helvíti”, step by step

helvíti traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse viti

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsevitiindicator; token, mark, signal; beacon
2Proto-Germanicwītijąpunishment
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

via Old Norse Hel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseHeldeath
2Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “helvíti”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wītiją →Every word from Old Norse viti →