Where does “Hell” come from?

Hell (Pennsylvania German) comes from Middle High German helle, from Old High German hellia, from Proto-West Germanic hallju, from Proto-Germanic haljō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

Hell (Pennsylvania German): hell

Definitions

  1. hell

Ancestry of “Hell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanhelle—
2Old High Germanhelliahell, afterlife
3Proto-West Germanichalljuthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
4Proto-Germanichaljōthe netherworld, the underworld, hell
5Proto-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 →