hell

See also: he'll and Hell

English

Alternative forms

• (Christianity): Hell
• hel (17th century)
• helle

Pronunciation

• enPR: hĕl, IPA^(key): /hɛl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

From Middle English helle, from Old English hel, hell, helle (“nether world, abode of the dead, hell”), from Proto-Germanic *haljō (“nether world, concealed place”), 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 various religions, the place where some or all spirits are believed to go after death

   Some religious people believe that all the followers of the other religions go to hell.

2. (Abrahamic religions, uncountable) The place where devils live and where sinners suffer after death

   May you rot in hell!

   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost

     Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

   • 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

• See Thesaurus:afterlife

Antonyms

• (in Abrahamic religions, uncountable): heaven

Translations

abode for the condemned

• Afrikaans: hel
• Albanian: ferr (sq)
• Arabic: اَلنَّار‎‎ f (an-nār), جَهَنَّم‎‎ f (jahannam), جَحِيم‎‎ m (jaḥīm)
• Aramaic:

  Hebrew: גהנא‎‎ f (gehanā’)

  Syriac: ܓܗܢܐ‎‎ f (gehanā’)

• Armenian: դժոխք (hy) (džoxkʿ)
• Asturian: infiernu m
• Avestan: 𐬛𐬀𐬊𐬲𐬀𐬢𐬵‎‎ (daožaŋh), 𐬛𐬀𐬊𐬲𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀‎‎ (daožauua)
• Azerbaijani: cəhənnəm (az)

  Cyrillic: ҹәһәннәм

• Baluchi: دوزه‎‎ (dōzē)
• Bashkir: тамуҡ (tamuq), йәһәннәм (yähännäm)
• Belarusian: ад m (ad), пе́кла n (pjékla)
• Bengali: জাহান্নাম (jahannam), নরক (nôrôk)
• Bulgarian: ад (bg) m (ad), пъ́къл (bg) m (pǎ́kǎl)
• Burmese: နရက် (my) (na.rak), ငရဲ (my) (nga.rai:)
• Catalan: infern (ca) m
• Chechen: жоьжахати (žöžaχati)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 地獄 (zh), 地狱 (zh) (dìyù)

• Chuvash: тамӑк (tamăk)
• Czech: peklo (cs) n
• Dalmatian: infiarn m
• Danish: helvede n
• Dutch: hel (nl)
• Esperanto: infero
• Estonian: põrgu
• Faroese: helviti n
• Finnish: helvetti (fi), horna
• French: enfer (fr) m
• Friulian: infiêr m
• Galician: inferno (gl) m
• Georgian: ჯოჯოხეთი (ǯoǯoxeti)
• German: Hölle (de) f, Fegefeuer (de) n
• Greek: Κόλαση f (Kólasi), κόλαση (el) f (kólasi)

  Ancient Greek: γέεννα (géenna)

• Greenlandic: anniarfik
• Gujarati: નરક (narak)
• Hebrew: גֵּיהִנּוֹם‎‎ (he) m, f (gehinóm)
• Hindi: नरक (hi) m (narak), जहन्नम (hi) m (jahannam), यमलोक (hi) m (yamlok)
• Hungarian: pokol (hu)
• Icelandic: helviti n
• Ido: inferno (io)
• Indonesian: neraka (id)
• Interlingua: inferno
• Irish: ifreann (ga)
• Italian: inferno (it) m
• Japanese: 地獄 (ja) (じごく, jigoku), 魔界 (まかい, makai), 奈落 (ならく, naraku)
• Kalmyk: там (tam)
• Kannada: ನರಕ (kn) (naraka)
• Kazakh: жаһаннам (jahannam), тозақ (kk) (tozaq)
• Khmer: ឋាននរក (thaan nɔrŭək), នរក (km) (nɔrŭək), នរកកុណ្ឌ (km) (nĕəʾrĕəʾkaʾkon), និរៃ (nirɨy)
• Korean: 지옥 (ko) (jiok) (地獄 (ko))
• Kurdish:

  Kurmanji: dûjeh (ku), cehnem (ku)

  Sorani: جه‌هه‌نه‌م‎‎ (ku) (cehenem), دۆزەخ‎‎ (dozex)

• Kyrgyz: тозок (ky) (tozok), жаанам (caanam), жаханнам (ky) (cahannam) (rare)
• Lao: ນະລົກ (na lok), ນະຣົກ (na rok)
• Latgalian: eļne
• Latin: infernum n, Tartarus (la) m; gehenna
• Latvian: elle f, pekle f
• Lithuanian: pragaras m
• Low German: Helle f
• Luxembourgish: Häll f
• Macedonian: пекол m (pekol)

• Malay: neraka
• Malayalam: നരകം (ml) (narakaṃ)
• Maltese: infern m
• Maore Comorian: moro class 3
• Marathi: नर्क (nark)
• Middle Persian: 𐭣𐭥𐭱𐭧𐭥𐭩‎‎ (dušox)
• Mongolian: там (mn) (tam)
• Mwali Comorian: moro class 3
• Navajo: chʼį́įdiitah
• Nepali: नरक (narak)
• Newari: नर्क (narka)
• Norman: enfé m
• Northern Sami: helvet
• Norwegian: helvete (no) n
• Occitan: infèrn (oc) m
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: адъ m (adŭ)

• Old East Slavic: адъ m (adŭ), пекло n (peklo)
• Old English: hell (ang) f
• Old Norse: helviti n
• Old Occitan: Enfern
• Old Saxon: hel
• Pali: naraka
• Pashto: دوزخ‎‎ (ps) m (dozáx), دوږخ‎‎ m (doẓáx), دوژخ‎‎ m (dožáx), جوغاش‎‎ (ps) m (ǰoǧãš), جاندم‎‎ (ps) m (ǰāndám), اورګړ‎‎ m (orgáṛ)
• Persian: جهنم‎‎ (fa) (jahannam), دوزخ‎‎ (fa) (duzax)
• Polish: piekło (pl) n
• Portuguese: inferno (pt) m
• Punjabi: ਨਰਕ (narak)
• Romanian: iad (ro) n, gheenă (ro) f, infern (ro) n
• Romansch: enfiern
• Russian: ад (ru) m (ad), преиспо́дняя (ru) f (preispódnjaja), пе́кло (ru) n (péklo), гее́нна о́гненная f (gejénna ógnennaja)
• Sanskrit: नरक (sa) m (naraka)
• Sardinian: iferru
• Saterland Frisian: Hälle f
• Scottish Gaelic: Ifrinn f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: пакао m, ад m, џехенем m

  Roman: pakao (sh) m, ad m, džehenem (sh) m

• Sicilian: nfernu (scn) m
• Sinhalese: නිරය (niraya)
• Slovak: peklo n
• Slovene: pekel (sl) m
• Southern Altai: тамук (tamuk), тозок (tozok)
• Spanish: infierno (es) m
• Swedish: helvete (sv) n, helvetet (sv) n
• Tagalog: impiyerno
• Tajik: дӯзах (tg) (düzax), ҷаҳаннам (tg) (jahannam)
• Tamil: நரகம் (ta) (narakam)
• Tatar: җәһәннәм (tt) (cähännäm)
• Telugu: నరకం (te) (narakaṃ)
• Thai: นรก (th) (ná-rók)
• Tibetan: དམྱལ་བ (dmyal ba)
• Turkish: cehennem (tr), tamu (tr)
• Turkmen: dowzah, jähennem (tk)
• Udmurt: ад (ad), тамуг (tamug)
• Ukrainian: ад (uk) m (ad), пе́кло n (péklo)
• Urdu: جہنم‎‎ m (jahannam), نرک‎‎ m (narak), دوزخ‎‎ (dozax)
• Uyghur: دوزاخ‎‎ (dozax), جەھەننەم‎‎ (jehennem)
• Uzbek: doʻzax (uz), jahannam (uz)
• Vietnamese: địa ngục (vi) (地獄)
• Volapük: höl (vo)
• Welsh: uffern f
• West Frisian: hel f
• Yiddish: גיהנום‎‎ n (genem), גענעם‎‎ n (genem)
• Zazaki: doze m

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.

   • 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, Metallica (music), “Disposable Heroes”, in Master of Puppets:

     Why, am I dying? / Kill, have no fear / Lie, live off lying / Hell, hell is here

2. (countable) A place for gambling.
   • W. Black

     a convenient little gambling hell for those who had grown reckless

   • 1907, Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent

     […] the air of moral nihilism common to keepers of gambling hells and disorderly houses; […]

3. (figuratively) An extremely hot place.

   You don't have a snowball's chance in hell.

4. (sometimes considered 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 his shreds, or a printer his broken type.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Hudibras to this entry?)

6. In certain games of chase, a place to which those who are caught are carried for detention.

Derived terms

Terms derived from hell (noun)

• as hell
• catch hell
• forty minutes of hell
• hella
• hellagood
• hell and half of Georgia
• hellbender
• hell-bent
• hell-fire
• hell for leather

• hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
• hellish
• hell on earth
• hell on wheels
• hellraiser
• hell's delight
• hellspawn
• hell to pay
• hell week

• like hell
• living hell
• no screaming hell
• the hell
• the hell out of
• the hell with it
• the hell you say
• to hell with
• what the hell

Translations

place of suffering in life

• Arabic: جَحِيم‎‎ (jaḥīm)
• Armenian: դժոխք (hy) (džoxkʿ)
• Asturian: infiernu m
• Bashkir: тамуҡ (tamuq), йәһәннәм (yähännäm)
• Chuvash: тамӑк (tamăk)
• Czech: peklo (cs) n
• Dutch: hel (nl)
• Esperanto: infero
• Estonian: põrgu
• Finnish: helvetti (fi)
• French: enfer (fr) m
• Georgian: ჯოჯოხეთი (ǯoǯoxeti)
• German: Hölle (de) f
• Greek: κόλαση (el) f (kólasi)
• Hungarian: pokol (hu)
• Indonesian: neraka (id)
• Interlingua: inferno
• Irish: ifreann (ga) m
• Italian: inferno (it) m
• Japanese: 地獄 (ja) (じごく, jigoku)
• Latvian: elle f

• Lithuanian: pragaras m
• Northern Sami: helvet
• Norwegian: helvete (no) n
• Persian: جهنم‎‎ (fa) (jahannam)
• Polish: piekło (pl) n
• Portuguese: inferno (pt) m
• Russian: ад (ru) m (ad)
• Saterland Frisian: Hälle f
• Scottish Gaelic: Ifrinn f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: пакао m, ад m

  Roman: pakao (sh) m, ad m

• Sicilian: nfernu (scn) m
• Slovak: peklo n
• Spanish: infierno (es) m
• Swedish: helvete (sv) n
• Telugu: నరకం (te) (narakaṃ)
• Turkish: cehennem (tr)
• Volapük: höl (vo)
• West Frisian: Hel f

extremely hot place

• Arabic: جَحِيم‎‎ (jaḥīm)
• Finnish: pätsi (fi)

• Portuguese: inferno (pt) m

Interjection

hell

1. (impolite, sometimes considered vulgar) Used to express discontent, unhappiness, or anger.

   Oh, hell! I got another parking ticket.

2. (impolite, sometimes considered vulgar) Used to emphasize.

   Hell, yeah!

3. (impolite, sometimes considered vulgar) Used to introduce an intensified statement following an understated one; nay; not only that, but.

   [Do it, or, r]est assured, there will be no more Middle Eastern crisis – hell, there will be no more Middle East!

Translations

hell!

• Danish: helvede!
• Finnish: helvetti! (fi)
• German: zur Hölle!, Himmel! (de) m, Teufel! (de) m
• Icelandic: helvítis!

• Northern Sami: helvet!
• Norwegian: helvete! (no)
• Swedish: helvete! (sv)

See also

• damn
• heck

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, burnish (silver or gold).
   • G. Smith (1799)

     To hell gold or gilt workː take two ounces of tartar, two ounces of sulfur.. and it will give it a fine luster.

References

• A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles

Etymology 3

From Old Norse hella (“to pour”). Cognate with Icelandic hella (“to pour”), Norwegian helle (“to pour”), Swedish hälla (“to pour”). See also hield.

Verb

hell (third-person singular simple present hells, present participle helling, simple past and past participle helled)

1. (rare) To pour.
   • Harvest (1821)

     Gosh, the sickle went into me handː Down hell'd the blood.

References

• A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles

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Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *skōla, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kol- (“stake”); compare Lithuanian kuõlas, Polish kóɫ, Ancient Greek σκύλος (skúlos).

Noun

hell m

1. skewer
2. spear
3. icicle

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Cornish

Noun

hell

1. Aspirate mutation of kell.

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Estonian

Etymology

Of Finnic origin. Cognate to Finnish hellä and Votic ellä.

Adjective

hell (genitive hella, partitive hella)

1. tender, gentle

Declension

Declension of hell (type külm)

	singular	plural
nominative	hell	hellad
genitive	hella	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

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German

FWOTD – 3 September 2014

Etymology

Cognate with Dutch hel, from Proto-Germanic *haljō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover, hide, conceal”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɛl/

• audio (Germany)

  (file)

• audio (Austria)

  (file)

Adjective

hell (comparative heller, superlative am hellsten)

1. clear, bright, light
   • 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

Positive forms of hell

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
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

Comparative forms of hell

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
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

Superlative forms of hell

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
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

Antonyms

• dunkel

Derived terms

• hellhörig
• hellsichtig

Further reading

• hell in Duden online

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Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German hel. Cognate with German helle, Dutch hel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hæl/
• Rhymes: -æl
• Homophone: Häll

Adjective

hell (masculine hellen, neuter hellt, comparative méi hell, superlative am hellsten)

1. clear, bright
2. light, pale

Declension

declension of hell

number and gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		hien ass hell	si ass hell	et ass hell	si si(nn) hell
without article	nominative/accusative	hellen	hell	hellt	hell
	dative	hellem	heller	hellem	hellen
with article	nominative/accusative	hellen	hell	hellt	hell
	dative	hellen	heller	hellen	hellen

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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 main entry.

Verb

hell

1. imperative of helle

Further reading

• “hell” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Ultimately from Old Norse heill.

Noun

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

1. luck

Further reading

• “hell” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *haljō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover, hide, conceal”). Cognate with Old Frisian helle, hille, Old Saxon hel, hellia, Old Dutch hella, Old High German hella, hellia, Old Norse hel, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰 (halja).

Compare hell, German for "light".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhell/

Noun

hell f

1. hell

Derived terms

• hellewīte

Descendants

• Middle English: helle
  • English: hell
  • Scots: hel