English
hell
Hell comes from Middle English hel, from Old English hel, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haljō.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haljō‘hell’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hallju‘the netherworld’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hel
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598hell
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haljō‘hell’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hallju‘the netherworld’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hel
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598hell
Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “O hell! what have we here? A carrion Death,…”
first attested First attested in c. 725 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in c. 725.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- ‘to cover’
color, hole, hall, holder, ceiling, cell, halt, hull, hollow, holden, conceal, uphold, helmet, occult, clandestine, sari, helm, sala, cilia, recline, declination, declension, tricolour, holing, haugh, halberd, seel, hele, 37 more
Today it means
name A place of torment where some or all sinners are believed to go after death and evil spirits are believed to be.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *haljō / hell