hell

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See also: he'll, Hell, and héll

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • enPR: hĕl, IPA(key): /hɛl/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (UK):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛl

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

  1. (in many religions, uncountable) A place of torment where some or all sinners and evil spirits are believed to go after death.
    Antonym: heaven
    May you rot in hell!
Synonyms
Translations

Noun

hell (countable and uncountable, plural hells)

  1. (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.
    callback hell; <table> hell; <div> hell (computer programming)
    • 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”?.
  2. (countable) A place for gambling.
  3. (figuratively) An extremely hot place.
    You don’t have a snowball's chance in hell.
  4. (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.
    What the hell is wrong with you?!
    He says he’s going home early? Like hell he is.
  5. (obsolete) A place into which a tailor throws shreds, or a printer discards broken type.
  6. In certain games of chase, a place to which those who are caught are carried for detention.
  7. (colloquial, usually with on) Something extremely painful or harmful (to)
    That steep staircase is hell on my knees.
Derived terms
Translations

Interjection

hell

  1. (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 Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :
      O hell! what have we here?
      A carrion Death, within whose empty eye
      There is a written scroll! []
  2. (colloquial, sometimes vulgar, non-productive) Used to emphasize.
    Hell, yeah!
  3. (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
See also

Adverb

hell (not comparable)

  1. (postpositional) Alternative form of the hell or like hell.
  2. (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)

  1. To make hellish; to place (someone) in hell; to make (a place) into a hell.
  2. To hurry, rush.
    • 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.
  3. (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)

  1. (rare, metal-working) To add luster to; to burnish (silver or gold).
    • 1770, Godfrey Smith, The Laboratory: Or, School of Arts:
      To hell gold or gilt workː take two ounces of tartar, two ounces of sulfur.. and it will give it a fine luster.

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)

  1. (rare) To pour.
    • 18th century, Josiah Relph, The Harvest; or Bashful Shepherd
      Gosh, the sickle went into me handː Down hell'd the bluid.

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)

  1. skewer
  2. spear
  3. icicle
  4. (adverb) standing straight without moving

Cornish

Noun

hell

  1. 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)

  1. tender, gentle

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)

  1. 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

Derived terms

Further reading

  • hell” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • hell” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • hell” in Duden online

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)

  1. clear, bright
  2. light, pale

Declension

Middle English

Proper noun

hell

  1. Alternative form of helle

Noun

hell

  1. Alternative form of helle

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse heill.

Noun

hell n (definite singular hellet, indefinite plural hell, definite plural hella or hellene)

  1. luck

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

hell

  1. imperative of helle

Further reading

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Ultimately from Old Norse heill.

Noun

hell n (definite singular hellet, indefinite plural hell, definite plural hella)

  1. luck

Further reading

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hallju, from Proto-Germanic *haljō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (to cover, hide, conceal).

Compare German hell (light).

Pronunciation

Noun

hell f

  1. hell

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

singular plural
nominative hell hella, helle
accusative helle hella, helle
genitive helle hella
dative helle hellum

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Middle English: helle, hel, hell, hælle
    • English: hell, Hell
    • Scots: hell, Hell

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish heel, from Old Norse heill (good omen, luck, literally whole, healthy). Doublet of hel.

Interjection

hell

  1. (archaic) hail (exclamation or greeting)

Derived terms

References