infernal

English

Etymology

From Middle French infernal, from Medieval Latin infernalis, from Latin īnfernus, from īnferum (“netherworld, underworld, hell”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/

• Audio (RP):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfəɹnəl/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)nəl

Adjective

infernal (comparative more infernal, superlative most infernal)

1. Of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish.
2. (by extension) Of or relating to a fire or inferno.
3. Stygian, gloomy.
4. Diabolical or fiendish.
   • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book I, lines 34–36:

     Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile

     Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd

     The Mother of Mankind

   • 1711 December 19 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, December 8, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 244; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:

     The spelling has been modernized.

     the instruments or abettors in such infernal dealings

5. (as an expletive) Very annoying; damned.
   • 1905, Bram Stoker, The Man

     As I had to put up with the patronage and the lecturings, and the eyeglass of that infernal old woman, […]

   • 1982, Sharon Green, The Warrior Within (page 10)

     When are you ever going to learn to mind your own infernal business?

Antonyms

• (of or relating to hell): heavenly
• (of or relating to hell, underworld or fire): celestial

Related terms

• infernal device
• infernally
• infernal machine
• inferno

Translations

Of or relating to hell, or the world of the dead; hellish

• Bulgarian: адски (bg) (adski), пъклен (bg) (pǎklen)
• Catalan: infernal (ca)
• Czech: pekelný (cs)
• Dutch: hels (nl), infernaal (nl)
• Finnish: helvetillinen (fi)
• French: infernal (fr)

  Old French: infernal

• Greek:

  Ancient: χθόνιος (khthónios)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: bedebah (id)
• Italian: infernale (it)
• Latin: infernus
• Norman: înfèrna
• Polish: piekielny (pl)
• Sanskrit: नारक (sa) (nāraka)
• Swedish: helvetisk (sv)

by extension: of or relating to a great fire or inferno

• Dutch: infernaal (nl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

stygian, gloomy

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

diabolical or fiendish

• Bulgarian: дяволски (bg) (djavolski)
• Dutch: duivels (nl), hels (nl), infernaal (nl)
• Finnish: pirullinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: bedebah (id)
• Polish: diabelski (pl)
• Swedish: infernalisk (sv)

UK, as an expletive: very annoying; damned

• Bulgarian: проклет (bg) (proklet)
• Dutch: hels (nl), infernaal (nl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: bedebah (id)

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

• German: ^{(please verify)} höllisch (de), ^{(please verify)} Höllen-, ^{(please verify)} infernalisch (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} infernal (es)

Noun

infernal (plural infernals)

1. (obsolete) An inhabitant of the infernal regions.

References

“infernal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin infernālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.fɛʁ.nal/

Adjective

infernal (feminine infernale, masculine plural infernaux, feminine plural infernales)

1. (relational) hell; infernal
2. (figuratively) infernal, hellish, awful, terrible

Related terms

• enfer

Further reading

• “infernal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin infernālis.

Adjective

infernal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular infernale)

1. infernal (relating to hell)

Declension

Declension of infernal

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	infernals, infernaus, infernax	infernale	infernal
	Oblique	infernal			infernale	infernal
Plural	Subject	infernal	infernales		infernal
	Oblique	infernals, infernaus, infernax			infernales	infernal

Descendants

• English: infernal
• French: infernal
• Norman: înfèrna

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.feʁˈnaw/ [ĩ.feɦˈnaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.feʁˈnaw/ [ĩ.feɦˈnaʊ̯]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ĩ.feɾˈnaw/ [ĩ.feɾˈnaʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ĩ.feʁˈnaw/ [ĩ.feʁˈnaʊ̯]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.feɻˈnaw/ [ĩ.feɻˈnaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fɨɾˈnal/ [ĩ.fɨɾˈnaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fɨɾˈnal/ [ĩ.fɨɾˈnaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.fɨɾˈna.li/

• Hyphenation: in‧fer‧nal
• Rhymes: -al, -aw

Adjective

infernal m or f (plural infernais)

1. (Christianity) hellish; infernal (from or relating to hell)
2. diabolical; evil; infernal

   Synonyms: mau, diabólico, maldoso

Derived terms

• infernalmente

Related terms

• inferno

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Romanian

Etymology

From French infernal, from Latin infernalis.

Adjective

infernal m or n (feminine singular infernală, masculine plural infernali, feminine and neuter plural infernale)

1. infernal

Declension

Declension of infernal

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	infernal		infernală	infernali	infernale
	definite	infernalul		infernala	infernalii	infernalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	infernal		infernale	infernali	infernale
	definite	infernalului		infernalei	infernalilor	infernalelor

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin infernalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /infeɾˈnal/ [ĩɱ.feɾˈnal]

Adjective

infernal m or f (masculine and feminine plural infernales)

1. (relational) hell; infernal (of or relating to hell)
2. infernal, hellish (diabolical, fiendish)
3. infernal, hellish, hellacious, hell of (very annoying, damned)

Related terms

• infierno

Further reading

• “infernal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014