hell
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English helle, from Old English hell, from Proto-West Germanic *hallju, from Proto-Germanic *haljō (“concealed place, netherworld”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover, conceal, save”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hälle (“hell”), West Frisian hel (“hell”), Dutch hel (“hell”), German Low German Hell (“hell”), German Hölle (“hell”), Norwegian helvete (“hell”), Icelandic hel (“the abode of the dead, death”). Also related to the Hel of Germanic mythology. See also hele.
Proper noun
hell
- (in many religions, uncountable) A place of torment where some or all sinners are believed to go after death and evil spirits are believed to be.
- Antonym: heaven
- May you rot in hell!
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 23:14:
- Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
- 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:
- Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.
- 1697, [William] Congreve, The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, page 39:
- Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, / Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman ſcorn'd.
- 1916, James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:
- Hell is a strait and dark and foul-smelling prison, an abode of demons and lost souls, filled with fire and smoke.
Synonyms
Descendants
- → Korean: 헬 (hel)
Translations
abode for the condemned
|
Noun
hell (countable and uncountable, plural hells)
- (countable, hyperbolic, figuratively) A place or situation of great suffering in life.
- My new boss is making my job a hell.
- I went through hell to get home today.
- 1879, General William T. Sherman, commencement address at the Michigan Military Academy
- There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell.
- 1986, “Disposable Heroes”, in Metallica (music), Master of Puppets:
- Why, am I dying? / Kill, have no fear / Lie, live off lying / Hell, hell is here
- 2024 May 8, Damian Carrington, “‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair. World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target”, in The Guardian, UK:
- So how do the scientists cope with their work being ignored for decades, and living in a world their findings indicate is on a “highway to hell”?.
- (countable) A place for gambling.
- 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 61, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
- Here’s five-and-twenty for you. Don’t be losing it at the hells now.
- 1877, William Black, Green Pastures and Piccadilly:
- a convenient little gambling hell for those who had grown reckless
- 1906 January–October, Joseph Conrad, chapter II, in The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale, London: Methuen & Co., […], published 1907, →OCLC; The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Collection of British Authors; 3995), copyright edition, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1907, →OCLC, page 15:
- But there was also about him an indescribable air which no mechanic could have acquired in the practice of his handicraft however dishonestly exercised: [...] the air of moral nihilism common to keepers of gambling hells and disorderly houses; [...]
- (figuratively) An extremely hot place.
- You don’t have a snowball's chance in hell.
- (sometimes vulgar) Used as an intensifier in phrases grammatically requiring a noun.
- I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more.
- He says he’s going home early? Like hell he is.
- (obsolete) A place into which a tailor throws shreds, or a printer discards broken type.
- 1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC:
- This sturdy Squire, he had, as well
As the bold Trojan Knight, seen Hell.
- In certain games of chase, a place to which those who are caught are carried for detention.
- (colloquial, usually with on) Something extremely painful or harmful (to)
- That steep staircase is hell on my knees.
Derived terms
- ah, hell
- all hell breaks loose
- as all hell
- as hell
- bastard operator from hell
- behell
- bleeding hell
- bloody hell
- blooming hell
- bullet hell
- burn in hell
- by hell
- callback hell
- catch hell
- chicken from hell
- Chinaman's chance in hell
- chuffing hell
- come hell or high water
- dammit all to hell
- dammit to hell
- damn you all in hell
- damn you all to hell
- dependency hell
- development hell
- DLL hell
- Elo hell
- for the hell of it
- forty minutes of hell
- fresh hell
- from hell
- fucking hell
- gate of hell
- give someone hell
- go through hell
- go to hell
- go-to-hell
- Harrowing of Hell
- harrowing of hell
- harrying of hell
- hella
- hellacious
- hellagood
- hell and half of Georgia
- hell and Tommy
- hell around
- hellban
- hellbender
- hell-bent
- hell-bent-for-leather
- hell-bent for leather
- hellbilly
- hell-born
- hellborn
- hellbound
- hellbox
- hellbrew
- hell-brewed
- hellbroth
- hellburner
- hellcat
- hell chicken
- Hell Corner
- helldesk
- hell-diver
- hellektro
- hellfare
- hellfire
- hell-fire
- Hellfire Club
- hell-for-leather
- hell for leather
- hell from above
- hell gate
- hell has no fury like a woman scorned
- hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
- hell-hole
- hell hole
- hellhound
- hell hound
- hell-hound
- hellhouse
- hell house
- hell if I care
- hell if I know
- hellify
- hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works
- hellish
- hellkite
- hell knows
- hellman
- hell mend someone
- hell money
- hellmouth
- hell night
- hell no
- hell of a
- hell on earth
- hell on wheels
- hell or high water
- hell pig
- hellproof
- hellraiser
- hell-raiser
- hellraising
- hell-rake
- hell realm
- hellride
- hell-roaring
- hell's bells
- hellscape
- hell's delight
- hellsite
- Hell's Kitchen
- hellsome
- hellspawn
- hell's teeth
- hellstorm
- hell strip
- hellstrip
- hell's yeah
- hell's yes
- hell to pay
- hell to the naw
- hell to the no
- Helltown
- Hellward
- hellward
- hellwards
- hell week
- hell west and crooked
- helly
- hell yeah
- hell yes
- hizzle
- holy hell
- hot as hell
- hot hell
- hound of hell
- how the hell
- I'm going to hell for this
- in hell
- in the hell
- Israhell
- Israhelli
- JAR hell
- king-hell
- like a bat out of hell
- like hell
- like hell you say
- like merry hell
- living hell
- match made in hell
- McHell
- no hell
- no screaming hell
- not worth hell room
- oh, hell
- oh my hell
- pave the road to hell
- personal hell
- play hell with
- play merry hell with
- production hell
- raise hell
- raise unshirted hell
- rake-hell
- rot in hell
- scare the hell out of
- see you in hell
- silver hell
- snowball in hell
- snowball's chance in hell
- snowflake's chance in hell
- sodding hell
- Solavellan Hell
- the hell
- the hell out of
- the hell with it
- the hell you say
- the road to hell is paved with good intentions
- to hell
- to hell and back
- to hell and gone
- to hell in a handbasket
- to hell in a handcart
- to hell with
- until hell freezes over
- war is hell
- welcome to hell
- what the hell
- when the hell
- where the hell
- who the hell
- why the hell
Translations
place of suffering in life
|
extremely hot place
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
|
Interjection
hell
- (colloquial, sometimes vulgar) Used to express discontent, unhappiness, or anger.
- Oh, hell! I got another parking ticket.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:
- O hell! what have we here?
A carrion Death, within whose empty eye
There is a written scroll! […]
- (colloquial, sometimes vulgar, non-productive) Used to emphasize.
- Hell, yeah!
- (colloquial, sometimes vulgar) Used to introduce an intensified statement following an understated one; nay; not only that, but.
- Do it, or, rest assured, there will be no more Middle Eastern crisis – hell, there will be no more Middle East!
Derived terms
Translations
hell!
|
See also
Adverb
hell (not comparable)
- (postpositional) Alternative form of the hell or like hell.
- 1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section II, page 24:
- ‘[…] I know whether a boy is telling me the truth or not.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
Did he hell. They never bloody did.
- (Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, sometimes vulgar) Very; used to emphasize strongly.
- Synonym: hella
- That was hell good!
- They're hell sexy.
Verb
hell (third-person singular simple present hells, present participle helling, simple past and past participle helled)
- To make hellish; to place (someone) in hell; to make (a place) into a hell. [from 17th c.]
- To hurry, rush. [from 19th c.]
- 1929, William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury:
- I had already lost thirteen points, all because she had to come helling in there at twelve, worrying me about that letter.
- (intransitive) To move quickly and loudly; to raise hell as part of motion.
- He was helling down the road with his radio blaring.
Etymology 2
From German hellen (“to brighten, burnish”). Related to Dutch hel (“clear, bright”) and German hell (“clear, bright”).
Verb
hell (third-person singular simple present hells, present participle helling, simple past and past participle helled)
Etymology 3
From Middle English hellen, from Old Norse hella (“to pour”), from Proto-Germanic *halþijaną (“to incline, tip; to pour out, empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to lean, incline”). Cognate with Icelandic hella (“to pour”), Norwegian helle (“to pour”), Swedish hälla (“to pour”). See also English hield.
Verb
hell (third-person singular simple present hells, present participle helling, simple past and past participle helled)
- (rare) To pour.
- 18th century, Josiah Relph, The Harvest; or Bashful Shepherd
- Gosh, the sickle went into me handː Down hell'd the bluid.
- 18th century, Josiah Relph, The Harvest; or Bashful Shepherd
Albanian
Etymology
From Proto-Albanian *skōla, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kol- (“stake”); compare Lithuanian kuõlas, Polish kół, Ancient Greek σκύλος (skúlos).
Noun
hell m (plural heje, definite helli, definite plural hejet)
Cornish
Noun
hell
- Aspirate mutation of kell.
Estonian
Etymology
From Proto-Finnic *hellä. Cognate to Finnish hellä and Votic elle.
Adjective
hell (genitive hella, partitive hella, comparative hellem, superlative kõige hellem)
Declension
| Declension of hell (ÕS type 22i/külm, length gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | hell | hellad | |
| accusative | nom. | ||
| gen. | hella | ||
| genitive | hellade | ||
| partitive | hella | helli hellasid | |
| illative | hella hellasse |
helladesse hellisse | |
| inessive | hellas | hellades hellis | |
| elative | hellast | helladest hellist | |
| allative | hellale | helladele hellile | |
| adessive | hellal | helladel hellil | |
| ablative | hellalt | helladelt hellilt | |
| translative | hellaks | helladeks helliks | |
| terminative | hellani | helladeni | |
| essive | hellana | helladena | |
| abessive | hellata | helladeta | |
| comitative | hellaga | helladega | |
German
Etymology
From Middle High German hel (“resounding, loud, shining, bright”), from Old High German hel (“resounding”), from Proto-Germanic *halliz (“resounding”), from Proto-Germanic *hellaną (“to resound, make a sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call, make noise”). Cognate with Dutch hel.
Pronunciation
Adjective
hell (strong nominative masculine singular heller, comparative heller, superlative am hellsten)
- clear, bright, light
- Antonym: dunkel
- 1918, Elisabeth von Heyking, Die Orgelpfeifen, in: Zwei Erzählungen, Phillipp Reclam jun. Verlag, page 9:
- So dunkel und schauerlich die Gruft aussah, wenn man durch die blinden, bestaubten Scheibchen der kleinen Fenster hineinblickte, so hell und freundlich war oben die Kirche.
- Just as dark and eerie the crypt looked like, if one looked in it through the cloudy, dusted little panes of the small windows, as bright and friendly was the church above.
Declension
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist hell | sie ist hell | es ist hell | sie sind hell | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | heller | helle | helles | helle |
| genitive | hellen | heller | hellen | heller | |
| dative | hellem | heller | hellem | hellen | |
| accusative | hellen | helle | helles | helle | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der helle | die helle | das helle | die hellen |
| genitive | des hellen | der hellen | des hellen | der hellen | |
| dative | dem hellen | der hellen | dem hellen | den hellen | |
| accusative | den hellen | die helle | das helle | die hellen | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein heller | eine helle | ein helles | (keine) hellen |
| genitive | eines hellen | einer hellen | eines hellen | (keiner) hellen | |
| dative | einem hellen | einer hellen | einem hellen | (keinen) hellen | |
| accusative | einen hellen | eine helle | ein helles | (keine) hellen | |
Positive forms of hell
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist heller | sie ist heller | es ist heller | sie sind heller | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | hellerer | hellere | helleres | hellere |
| genitive | helleren | hellerer | helleren | hellerer | |
| dative | hellerem | hellerer | hellerem | helleren | |
| accusative | helleren | hellere | helleres | hellere | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der hellere | die hellere | das hellere | die helleren |
| genitive | des helleren | der helleren | des helleren | der helleren | |
| dative | dem helleren | der helleren | dem helleren | den helleren | |
| accusative | den helleren | die hellere | das hellere | die helleren | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein hellerer | eine hellere | ein helleres | (keine) helleren |
| genitive | eines helleren | einer helleren | eines helleren | (keiner) helleren | |
| dative | einem helleren | einer helleren | einem helleren | (keinen) helleren | |
| accusative | einen helleren | eine hellere | ein helleres | (keine) helleren | |
Comparative forms of hell
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist am hellsten | sie ist am hellsten | es ist am hellsten | sie sind am hellsten | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | hellster | hellste | hellstes | hellste |
| genitive | hellsten | hellster | hellsten | hellster | |
| dative | hellstem | hellster | hellstem | hellsten | |
| accusative | hellsten | hellste | hellstes | hellste | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der hellste | die hellste | das hellste | die hellsten |
| genitive | des hellsten | der hellsten | des hellsten | der hellsten | |
| dative | dem hellsten | der hellsten | dem hellsten | den hellsten | |
| accusative | den hellsten | die hellste | das hellste | die hellsten | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein hellster | eine hellste | ein hellstes | (keine) hellsten |
| genitive | eines hellsten | einer hellsten | eines hellsten | (keiner) hellsten | |
| dative | einem hellsten | einer hellsten | einem hellsten | (keinen) hellsten | |
| accusative | einen hellsten | eine hellste | ein hellstes | (keine) hellsten | |
Superlative forms of hell
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
Luxembourgish
Etymology
From Old High German hel, related to the verb hellan, from Proto-Germanic *hellaną (“to resound”). Cognate with German helle, Dutch hel.
Pronunciation
Adjective
hell (masculine hellen, neuter hellt, comparative méi hell, superlative am hellsten)
Declension
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | hien ass hell | si ass hell | et ass hell | si si(nn) hell | |
| nominative / accusative |
attributive and/or after determiner | hellen | hell | hellt | hell |
| independent without determiner | helles | heller | |||
| dative | after any declined word | hellen | heller | hellen | hellen |
| as first declined word | hellem | hellem | |||
Middle English
Proper noun
hell
- Alternative form of helle
Noun
hell
- Alternative form of helle
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology 1
Noun
hell n (definite singular hellet, indefinite plural hell, definite plural hella or hellene)
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
hell
- imperative of helle
Further reading
- “hell” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
Noun
hell n (definite singular hellet, indefinite plural hell, definite plural hella)
Further reading
- “hell” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *hallju, from Proto-Germanic *haljō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover, hide, conceal”).
Pronunciation
Noun
hell f
Declension
Strong ō-stem:
Derived terms
Descendants
Swedish
Etymology
From Old Swedish heel, from Old Norse heill (“good omen, luck”, literally “whole, healthy”). Doublet of hel.
Interjection
hell
Derived terms
- hell seger (“Sieg Heil”)
References
- hell in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- hell in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- hell in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
- hell in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
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