hell

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ś 84 What is the meaning of the English word hell?

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Definitions (45)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (23)

  1. noun The abode of condemned souls and devils in some religions; the place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, presided over by Satan.
  2. noun A state of separation from God; exclusion from God's presence.
  3. noun The abode of the dead, identified with the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades; the underworld.
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Examples (50)

  • But who the hell were these two guys he had to kill now Chapter   113 WELL, IT DIDN'T MUCH MATTER. —  Patterson, James - [Alex Cross 12] - Cross
  • "That's nice," she remarked, not really interested Where the hell were her other suitcases? —  Garwood, Julie - Killjoy.html
  • And what the hell was the matter with him to be attracted to her? —  Garwood, Julie - Killjoy.html
  • “Where the hell is the social worker On her way, Chief.” Kristal was bored. —  AHMM,November2006
  • What the hell was an incubus doing with an automatic weapon? —  Yasmine Galenorn - [Sisters of the Moon 03] - Darkling
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

devil ·  heaven ·  kind ·  darkness ·  fear ·  death ·  lot ·  dream ·  world ·  joy ·  god ·  truth
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English helle, from Old English; see kel-1 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. In the 17th century also hel; early modern English helle, from Middle English helle, from Anglo-Saxon hell, hel (feminine, genitive dative ace. helle), the abode of the dead (Greek ά)|θης, Hades, Latin infernum), also the place of punishment for the wicked after death (Late Latin Middle Latin infernum), = Old Saxon hellia, hell, hel = OFries. hille, helle = Dutch hel = Middle Low German helle = Old High German hellia, hella, Middle High German helle, German helle (Luther), now irreg. hölle = Gothic (Moesogothic) halja, hell (as in Anglo-Saxon) (cf. Danish helvede, Swedish helvete, Old Swedish hælwite, hell, = Anglo-Saxon hellewīte, hell's torment); = Icelandic hel, the abode of the dead, Hades, also death, and personified, Hel, the ogress Hel, the Proserpine of Scandinavian mythology. The personification does not appear in Gothic (Moesogothic), Anglo-Saxon, Old High German, etc., though prob. once existent. Prob. orig. the ‘hidden’ or ‘unseen’ place (or goddess) (cf. Hades, similarly explained as ‘unseen’), from Anglo-Saxon helan, Middle English helen, English heal (= Old High German helan, etc.), cover, conceal, hide: see heal. Cf. hell.
  2. A variant of hill, or ult. of heal, hele, hide: see hill, heal.
 

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/hɛl/
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