hell vs inferno what difference

what is difference between hell and inferno

English

Alternative forms

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

Pronunciation

• enPR: hĕl, IPA^(key): /hɛl/
• Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

From Middle English helle, from Old English hell, from Proto-Germanic *haljō (“concealed place, netherworld”), 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 torment place where some or all evil spirits are believed to go after death.
   • 1611, KJV, Proverbs, 23:14

2. (in many religions, uncountable) The place where sinners suffer after death.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:afterlife

Antonyms

• (in many religions, uncountable): heaven

Translations

Noun

hell (countable and uncountable, plural hells)

1. (countable, hyperbolic, figuratively) A place or situation of great suffering in life.
   • 1879, General William T. Sherman, commencement address at the Michigan Military Academy
2. (countable) A place for gambling.
   • 1877, William Black, Green Pastures and Piccadilly
3. (figuratively) An extremely hot place.

4. (sometimes considered vulgar) Used as an intensifier in phrases grammatically requiring a noun.

5. (obsolete) A place into which a tailor throws shreds, or a printer discards broken type.

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

hell

1. (impolite, sometimes considered vulgar) Used to express discontent, unhappiness, or anger.
   • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant Of Venice, Act II Scene 7

     O hell! what have we here?

     A carrion Death, within whose empty eye

     There is a written scroll! […]

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

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

Derived terms

• hell’s bells

Translations

See also

• damn
• heck

Adverb

hell (not comparable)

1. (postpositional) Alternative form of the hell or like hell.
   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 35:

     ‘I know whether a boy is telling me the truth or not.’
     ‘Thank you, sir.’
     Did he hell. They never bloody did.

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).
   • 1770, Godfrey Smith, The Laboratory: Or, School of Arts

     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.
   • 18th century, unknown author, The Harvest or Bashful Shepherd

     Gosh, the sickle went into me handː Down hell’d the bluid.

References

• A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles

Albanian

Etymology

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

Noun

hell m (indefinite plural heje, definite singular helli, definite plural hejet)

1. skewer
2. spear
3. icicle
4. (adverb) standing straight without moving

Cornish

Noun

hell

1. Aspirate mutation of kell.

Estonian

Etymology

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

Adjective

hell (genitive hella, partitive hella)

1. tender, gentle

Declension

German

Etymology

From Middle High German hel (“resounding, loud, shining, bright”), from Old High German hel (“resounding”), from Proto-Germanic *halliz (“resounding”), from Proto-Germanic *hellaną (“to resound, make a sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call, make noise”). Cognate with Dutch hel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɛl/

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:

Declension

Antonyms

• dunkel

Derived terms

• hellhörig
• hellsichtig

Related terms

• sternenhell
• taghell

Further reading

• “hell” in Duden online

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German hel, related to the verb hellan, from Proto-Germanic *hellaną (“to resound”). 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

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 corresponding lemma form.

Verb

hell

1. imperative of helle

Further reading

• “hell” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hallju, from Proto-Germanic *haljō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover, hide, conceal”).

Compare German hell (“light”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xell/, [heɫ]

Noun

hell f

1. hell

Declension

Derived terms

• hellewīte

Descendants

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

English

Etymology

From Italian inferno (“hell”), from Latin infernus (“of the lower regions”), inferna (“the lower regions”); see infernal.

The meaning “big fire” came as a figurative use from the traditional idea of hellfire.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɝnoʊ/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)nəʊ

Noun

inferno (plural infernos)

1. A place or situation resembling Hell.
   • D. C. Worcester

     At each sudden explosion in the inferno below they sprang back from the brink [of the volcanic crater].

2. A large fire, a conflagration.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:afterlife

Related terms

• infernal

Translations

Further reading

• inferno in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• inferno at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Fronnie, nonfire

Dutch

Etymology

From Italian inferno (“hell”), from Latin infernus (“of the lower regions”), inferna (“the lower regions”); see infernal. The meaning “big fire” came as a figurative use from the traditional idea of hellfire.

Pronunciation

Noun

inferno n (plural inferno’s, diminutive infernootje n)

1. hell-like place or situation.
2. hellfire
3. a large fire

Synonyms

• (a hell-like place): onderwereld
• (hellfire): hellevuur
• (a large fire): vuurzee, vlammenzee

Related terms

• infernaal

Galician

Etymology

Inherited from Old Portuguese inferno, from Latin īnfernus (“infernal; of the lower regions”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iɱˈfɛɾno̝/

Noun

inferno m (plural infernos)

1. (Christianity) hell
2. (figuratively) a very unpleasable or negative situation

Derived terms

• infernal
• inferniño

References

• “inferno” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI – ILGA 2006-2012.
• “inferno” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI – ILGA 2006-2013.
• “inferno” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “inferno” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /inˈfɛr.no/
• Rhymes: -ɛrno
• Hyphenation: in‧fèr‧no

Etymology 1

From Latin īnfernus (“of the lower regions”), derived from īnferus (“low”).

Adjective

inferno (feminine inferna, masculine plural inferni, feminine plural inferne)

1. hellish, infernal
2. (uncommon) lower, inferior

Etymology 2

From Late Latin īnfernus, īnfernum (“the depths of the earth”), noun use of īnfernus (“of the lower regions”), derived from īnferus (“low”).

Noun

inferno m (plural inferni)

1. hell
2. inferno

Related terms

• infernale

Descendants

• → Dutch: inferno
• → English: inferno
• → German: Inferno
• → Italiot Greek: ινφιέρνο (infiérno)
• → Norwegian: inferno
• → Swedish: inferno

Etymology 3

From the toponym Inferno (a place near Sondrio).

Noun

inferno m (plural inferni)

1. a kind of red wine

References

• inferno¹ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana
• inferno² in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana
• inferno³ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• frenino, nefroni

Latin

Adjective

īnfernō

1. dative masculine singular of īnfernus
2. dative neuter singular of īnfernus
3. ablative masculine singular of īnfernus
4. ablative neuter singular of īnfernus

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Italian inferno, from Latin infernus

Noun

inferno n (definite singular infernoet, indefinite plural inferno or infernoer, definite plural infernoa or infernoene)

1. an inferno

References

• “inferno” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “inferno” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian inferno, from Latin infernus

Noun

inferno n (definite singular infernoet, indefinite plural inferno, definite plural infernoa)

1. an inferno

References

• “inferno” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese inferno, iferno, from Latin īnfernus (“infernal; of the lower regions”).

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.ˈfɛɾ.nu/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.ˈfɛʁ.nu/
• (Carioca) IPA^(key): /ĩ.ˈfɛχ.nu/
• (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ĩ.ˈfɛɻ.nu/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.ˈfɛɾ.no/, /ĩ.ˈfɛɻ.no/
• Hyphenation: in‧fer‧no

Noun

inferno m (plural infernos)

1. (Christianity) hell (where sinners go)
2. (figuratively) a very unpleasant or negative situation
3. (figuratively) a very hot place

Interjection

inferno!

1. hell (expressing discontent, unhappiness, or anger)

Related terms

• infernal
• inferninho

Further reading

• “inferno” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Swedish

Noun

inferno n

1. an inferno; an extremely dangerous, chaotic and generally overwhelming situation

Usage notes

• Swedes would associate inferno with Dante but also with August Strindberg

Declension

Related terms

• infernalisk

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