infierno

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish infierno.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: in‧fier‧no

Noun

infierno

1. hell

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin īnfernum, neuter form of īnfernus (“of the lower regions”). Compare Dalmatian infiarn.

Noun

infierno m

1. hell
   • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:

     Là drento xì l’infierno naturale.

     But inside it is natural hell.

Old Spanish

Etymology

From Latin īnfernum; attested from 1140. Regarding the phonetics (Latin in normally becomes en in Spanish), the word was perhaps influenced or reinforced by the Ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation. There were similar developments in other Romance languages.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /inˈfjeɾno/

Noun

infierno m (plural infiernos)

1. (biblical) Sheol, the Hebrew term for the underworld; hell.
   • c. 1200, Almeric, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 6r. a:

     e dẏxo decẽdre / al infierno dolorioſo ſo por mẏo / fijo.

     [E dixo “Descendré al infierno dolorioso so por mío fijo.”]

     And he said: "I shall descend to hell unto my son in mourning."

   • c. 1200, Almeric, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 8r.:

     e ſi perdiere a beniamin deſcen / dre en mi ueieza enel ĩfierno. e / plorar lo he ẏ.

     [E si perdiere a Benjamin descendré en mi vejeza en el infierno, e plorar-lo-é ý.]

     And should I lose Benjamin I will descend to hell, in my old age, and I shall mourn him there.

Descendants

• Spanish: infierno
  • → Cebuano: impiyerno
  • → Tagalog: impiyerno

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂én

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi

?

Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí

Proto-Indo-European *-ér

Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰérder.

Proto-Italic *enðernom

Latin īnfernum

Old Spanish infierno

Spanish infierno

Inherited from Old Spanish infierno, from Latin īnfernum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /inˈfjeɾno/ [ĩɱˈfjeɾ.no]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾno
• Syllabification: in‧fier‧no

Noun

infierno m (plural infiernos)

1. hell

Derived terms

• el infierno está empedrado de buenas intenciones
• infernal
• los quintos infiernos
• quinto infierno

Descendants

• → Cebuano: impiyerno
• → Tagalog: impiyerno

Further reading

• “infierno”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025