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Hell definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HELL, n.
1. The place or state of punishment for the wicked after death. Matthew 10. Luke 12.
Sin is hell begun, as religion is heaven anticipated.
2. The place of the dead, or of souls after death; the lower regions, or the grave; called in Hebrew, sheol, and by the Greeks, hades. Psalms 16. JoNahum 2.
3. The pains of hell, temporal death, or agonies that dying persons feel, or which bring to the brink of the grave. Psalms 18.
4. The gates of hell, the power and policy of Satan and his instruments. Matthew 16.
5. The infernal powers.
While Saul and hell cross'd his strong fate in vain.
6. The place at a running play to which are carried those who are caught.
7. A place into which a tailor throws his shreds.
8. A dungeon or prison.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any place of pain and turmoil; "the hell of battle"; "the inferno of the engine room"; "when you're alone Christmas is the pits"; [syn: hell, hell on earth, hellhole, snake pit, the pits, inferno]
2: a cause of difficulty and suffering; "war is hell"; "go to blazes" [syn: hell, blaze]
3: (Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment; "Hurl'd headlong...To bottomless perdition, there to dwell"- John Milton; "a demon from the depths of the pit"; "Hell is paved with good intentions"-Dr. Johnson [syn: Hell, perdition, Inferno, infernal region, nether region, pit] [ant: Heaven]
4: (religion) the world of the dead; "No one goes to Hades with all his immense wealth"-Theognis [syn: Hell, Hades, infernal region, netherworld, Scheol, underworld]
5: violent and excited activity; "they began to fight like sin" [syn: sin, hell]
6: noisy and unrestrained mischief; "raising blazes" [syn: hell, blaze]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old English helan to conceal, Old High German helan, Latin celare, Greek kalyptein Date: before 12th century 1. a. (1) a nether world in which the dead continue to exist ; Hades (2) the nether realm of the devil and the demons in which the damned suffer everlasting punishment — often used in curses <go to hell> or as a generalized term of abuse <the hell with it> b. Christian Science error 2b, sin 2. a. a place or state of misery, torment, or wickedness <war is hell — W. T. Sherman> b. a place or state of turmoil or destruction <all hell broke loose> c. a severe scolding; also flak, grief <gave me hell for coming in late> d. unrestrained fun or sportiveness <the kids were full of hell> — often used in the phrase for the hell of it especially to suggest action on impulse or without a serious motive <decided to go for the hell of it> e. an extremely unpleasant and often inescapable situation <rush-hour hell> 3. archaic a tailor's receptacle 4. — used as an interjection <hell, I don't know!> or as an intensive <hurts like hell> <funny as hell> — often used in the phrase hell of a <it was one hell of a good fight> or hell out of <scared the hell out of him> or with the or in <moved way the hell up north> <what in hell is wrong, now?>

Merriam Webster's

Date: 1579 he will ; he shall

Britannica Concise

Abode of evildoers after death, or the state of existence of souls damned to punishment after death. Most ancient religions included the concept of a place that divided the good from the evil or the living from the dead (e.g., the gloomy subterranean realm of Hades in Greek religion, or the cold and dark underworld of Nilfheim or Hel in Norse mythology). The view that hell is the final dwelling place of the damned after a last judgment is held by Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Jewish concept of Gehenna as an infernal region of punishment for the wicked was the basis for the Christian vision of hell as the fiery domain of Satan and his evil angels and a place of punishment for those who die without repenting of their sins. In Hinduism hell is only one stage in the career of the soul as it passes through the phases of reincarnation. The schools of Buddhism have varying conceptions of hell, usually entailing some kind of punishment or purgatory. In Jainism, hell is a purgatory in which sinners are tormented by demons until the evil of their lives has been exhausted.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a place regarded in some religions as the abode of the dead, or of condemned sinners and devils. 2 a place or state of misery or wickedness. 3 colloq. used as an exclamation of surprise or annoyance (who the hell are you?; a hell of a mess). 4 US colloq. fun; high spirits. Phrases and idioms: beat (or knock etc.) the hell out of colloq. beat etc. without restraint. come hell or high water no matter what the difficulties. for the hell of it colloq. for fun; on impulse. get (or catch) hell colloq. be severely scolded or punished. give a person hell colloq. scold or punish or make things difficult for a person. hell-bent (foll. by on) recklessly determined. hell-cat a spiteful violent woman. hell-fire the fire or fires regarded as existing in hell. hell for leather at full speed. hell-hole an oppressive or unbearable place. hell-hound a fiend. hell's angel a member of a gang of male motor-cycle enthusiasts notorious for outrageous and violent behaviour. like hell colloq. 1 not at all. 2 recklessly, exceedingly. not a hope in hell colloq. no chance at all. play hell (or merry hell) with colloq. be upsetting or disruptive to. what the hell colloq. it is of no importance. Derivatives: hell-like adj. hellward adv. & adj. Etymology: OE hel, hell f. Gmc

Oxford Reference Dictionary

contr. he will; he shall.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hell Hell, n. [AS. hell; akin to D. hel, OHG. hella, G. h["o]lle, Icel. hal, Sw. helfvete, Dan. helvede, Goth. halja, and to AS. helan to conceal. ???. Cf. Hele, v. t., Conceal, Cell, Helmet, Hole, Occult.] 1. The place of the dead, or of souls after death; the grave; -- called in Hebrew sheol, and by the Greeks hades. He descended into hell. --Book of Common Prayer. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. --Ps. xvi. 10. 2. The place or state of punishment for the wicked after death; the abode of evil spirits. Hence, any mental torment; anguish. ``Within him hell.'' --Milton. It is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell. --Shak. 3. A place where outcast persons or things are gathered; as: (a) A dungeon or prison; also, in certain running games, a place to which those who are caught are carried for detention. (b) A gambling house. ``A convenient little gambling hell for those who had grown reckless.'' --W. Black. (c) A place into which a tailor throws his shreds, or a printer his broken type. --Hudibras. Gates of hell. (Script.) See Gate, n., 4.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hell Hell, v. t. To overwhelm. [Obs.] --Spenser.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hells) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. In some religions, hell is the place where the Devil lives, and where wicked people are sent to be punished when they die. Hell is usually imagined as being under the ground and full of flames. N-PROPER; N-COUNT 2. If you say that a particular situation or place is hell, you are emphasizing that it is extremely unpleasant. ...the hell of the Siberian labor camps... = misery N-VAR [emphasis] 3. Hell is used by some people when they are angry or excited, or when they want to emphasize what they are saying. 'Hell, no!' the doctor snapped. EXCLAM [emphasis] 4. You can use as hell after adjectives or some adverbs to emphasize the adjective or adverb. (INFORMAL) The men might be armed, but they sure as hell weren't trained... PHRASE: adj PHR [emphasis] 5. If you say that a place or a situation is hell on earth or a hell on earth, you are emphasizing that it is extremely unpleasant or that it causes great suffering. She believed she would die in the snake-infested sand dunes. She said: 'It was hell on earth'. = living hell PHRASE: oft v-link PHR [emphasis] 6. If someone does something for the hell of it, or just for the hell of it, they do it for fun or for no particular reason. (INFORMAL) Managers seem to be spending millions just for the hell of it. PHRASE: usu PHR with cl, PHR after v, n PHR 7. You can use from hell after a noun when you are emphasizing that something or someone is extremely unpleasant or evil. (INFORMAL) He's a child from hell... PHRASE: n PHR [emphasis] 8. If you tell someone to go to hell, you are angrily telling them to go away and leave you alone. (INFORMAL, RUDE) 'Well, you can go to hell!' He swept out of the room. PHRASE [feelings] 9. If you say that someone can go to hell, you are emphasizing angrily that you do not care about them and that they will not stop you doing what you want. (INFORMAL, RUDE) Peter can go to hell. It's my money and I'll leave it to who I want... PHRASE [emphasis] 10. If you say that someone is going hell for leather, you are emphasizing that they are doing something or are moving very quickly and perhaps carelessly. (INFORMAL) The first horse often goes hell for leather, hits a few fences but gets away with it... PHRASE: usu v PHR [emphasis] 11. Some people say like hell to emphasize that they strongly disagree with you or are strongly opposed to what you say. (INFORMAL) 'I'll go myself.'—'Like hell you will!' PHRASE: usu PHR cl [emphasis] 12. Some people use like hell to emphasize how strong an action or quality is. (INFORMAL) It hurts like hell... PHRASE: PHR after v [emphasis] 13. If you describe a place or situation as a living hell, you are emphasizing that it is extremely unpleasant. (INFORMAL) School is a living hell for some children. PHRASE: v-link PHR [emphasis] 14. If you say that all hell breaks loose, you are emphasizing that a lot of arguing or fighting suddenly starts. (INFORMAL) He had an affair, I found out and then all hell broke loose. PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis] 15. If you talk about a hell of a lot of something, or one hell of a lot of something, you mean that there is a large amount of it. (INFORMAL) The manager took a hell of a lot of money out of the club. PHRASE: usu PHR of n/-ing [emphasis] 16. Some people use a hell of or one hell of to emphasize that something is very good, very bad, or very big. (INFORMAL) Whatever the outcome, it's going to be one hell of a fight. PHRASE: PHR n [emphasis] 17. Some people use the hell out of for emphasis after verbs such as 'scare', 'irritate', and 'beat'. (INFORMAL) I patted the top of her head in the condescending way I knew irritated the hell out of her... PHRASE: v PHR n [emphasis] 18. If you say there'll be hell to pay, you are emphasizing that there will be serious trouble. (INFORMAL) There would be hell to pay when Ferguson and Tony found out about it. PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis] 19. To play hell with something means to have a bad effect on it or cause great confusion. In British English, you can also say that one person or thing plays merry hell with another. (INFORMAL) Lord Beaverbrook, to put it bluntly, played hell with the war policy of the R.A.F... PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR with n 20. If you say that someone raises hell, you are emphasizing that they protest strongly and angrily about a situation in order to persuade other people to correct it or improve it. (INFORMAL) The only way to preserve democracy is to raise hell about its shortcomings. PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis] 21. People sometimes use the hell for emphasis in questions, after words such as 'what', 'where', and 'why', often in order to express anger. (INFORMAL, RUDE) Where the hell have you been?... PHRASE: quest PHR [emphasis] 22. If you go through hell, or if someone puts you through hell, you have a very difficult or unpleasant time. (INFORMAL) All of you seem to have gone through hell making this record... PHRASE: V inflects 23. If you say you hope to hell or wish to hell that something is true, you are emphasizing that you strongly hope or wish it is true. (INFORMAL) I hope to hell you're right. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR that [emphasis] 24. If you say that you will do something come hell or high water, you are emphasizing that you are determined to do it, in spite of the difficulties involved. I've always managed to get into work come hell or high water. PHRASE: usu PHR after v [emphasis] 25. You can say 'what the hell' when you decide to do something in spite of the doubts that you have about it. (INFORMAL) What the hell, I thought, at least it will give the lazy old man some exercise. PHRASE [feelings] 26. If you say 'to hell with' something, you are emphasizing that you do not care about something and that it will not stop you from doing what you want to do. (INFORMAL) To hell with this, I'm getting out of here... PHRASE: PHR n [emphasis]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

He'll is the usual spoken form of 'he will'. By the time he's twenty he'll know everyone worth knowing in Washington.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

derived from the Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In Scripture there are three words so rendered:

(1.) Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word sheol is derived from a root-word meaning "to ask," "demand;" hence insatiableness (Prov. 30:15, 16). It is rendered "grave" thirty-one times (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Sam. 2:6, etc.). The Revisers have retained this rendering in the historical books with the original word in the margin, while in the poetical books they have reversed this rule.

In thirty-one cases in the Authorized Version this word is rendered "hell," the place of disembodied spirits. The inhabitants of sheol are "the congregation of the dead" (Prov. 21:16). It is (a) the abode of the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job 24:19; Ps. 9:17; 31:17, etc.); (b) of the good (Ps. 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13, etc.).

Sheol is described as deep (Job 11:8), dark (10:21, 22), with bars (17:16). The dead "go down" to it (Num. 16:30, 33; Ezek. 31:15, 16, 17).

(2.) The Greek word hades of the New Testament has the same scope of signification as sheol of the Old Testament. It is a prison (1 Pet. 3:19), with gates and bars and locks (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 1:18), and it is downward (Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15).

The righteous and the wicked are separated. The blessed dead are in that part of hades called paradise (Luke 23:43). They are also said to be in Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22).

(3.) Gehenna, in most of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament, designates the place of the lost (Matt. 23:33). The fearful nature of their condition there is described in various figurative expressions (Matt. 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 16:24, etc.). (See HINNOM.)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hel (see SHEOL; HADES; GEHENNA):

1. The Word in the King James Version:

The English word, from a Teutonic root meaning "to hide" or "cover," had originally the significance of the world of the dead generally, and in this sense is used by Chaucer, Spenser, etc., and in the Creed ("He descended into hell"); compare the English Revised Version Preface. Now the word has come to mean almost exclusively the place of punishment of the lost or finally impenitent; the place of torment of the wicked. In the King James Version of the Scriptures, it is the rendering adopted in many places in the Old Testament for the Hebrew word she'ol (in 31 out of 65 occurrences of that word it is so translated), and in all places, save one (1Co 15:55) in the New Testament, for the Greek word Hades (this word occurs 11 times; in 10 of these it is translated "hell"; 1Co 15:55 reads "grave," with "hell" in the margin). In these cases the word has its older general meaning, though in Lu 16:23 (parable of Rich Man and Lazarus) it is specially connected with a place of "torment," in contrast with the "Abraham's bosom" to which Lazarus is taken (16:22). 2. The Word in the Revised Version:

In the above cases the Revised Version (British and American) has introduced changes, replacing "hell" by "Sheol" in the passages in the Old Testament (the English Revised Version retains "hell" in Isa 14:9,15; the American Standard Revised Version makes no exception), and by "Hades" in the passages in the New Testament (see under these words).

3. Gehenna:

Besides the above uses, and more in accordance with the modern meaning, the word "hell" is used in the New Testament in the King James Version as the equivalent of Gehenna (12 t; Mt 5:22,29; 10:28, etc.). the Revised Version (British and American) in these cases puts "Gehenna" in the margin. Originally the Valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, Gehenna became among the Jews the synonym for the place of torment in the future life (the "Gehenna of fire," Mt 5:22, etc.; see GEHENNA).

4. Tartarus:

In yet one other passage in the New Testament (2Pe 2:4), "to cast down to hell" is used (the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)) to represent the Greek tartaroo, ("to send into Tartarus"). Here it stands for the place of punishment of the fallen angels: "spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits (or chains) of darkness" (compare Jude 1:6; but also Mt 25:41). Similar ideas are found in certain of the Jewish apocalyptic books (Book of Enoch, Book of Jubilees, Apocrypha Baruch, with apparent reference to Ge 6:1-4; compare ESCHATOLOGY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT).

On theological aspect, see PUNISHMENT, EVERLASTING. For literature, see references in above-named arts., and compare article "Hell" by Dr. D. S. Salmond in HDB.

James Orr

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Gehenna, limbo, abyss, Tartarus, Hades, Avernus, Erebus, place of torment, bottomless pit, everlasting fire, infernal regions, shades below, realms of Pluto, the lower world, abode of the damned. 2. Infernal spirits, hosts of hell, hosts of evil, assembly of demons. 3. Misery, moral agony, unassuaged remorse inward-torment, stings of conscience, spiritual agony, sense of curse.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A taylor's repository for his stolen goods, called cabbage: see CABBAGE. Little hell; a small dark covered passage, leading from London-wall to Bell-alley.

Foolish Dictionary

Poverty.

Moby Thesaurus

Abaddon, Acheron, Babel, Dis, Erebus, Gehenna, Hades, Pandemonium, Sheol, Styx, Tartarus, Tophet, Torrid Zone, abyss, affliction, agony, anguish, bedlam, betting house, betting parlor, blazes, bottomless pit, bowels, cacophony, cage, casino, castigation, censure, chaos, clawing, confusion of tongues, coop, crib, criticism, cruciation, crucifixion, deep space, deeps, depths, enclosure, equator, flat, furnace, gambling den, gambling hall, gambling hell, gambling house, gaming house, gaping depths, hades, hell upon earth, holocaust, horror, infernal pit, infernal regions, inferno, joint, laceration, lancination, limbo, lower world, martyrdom, misery, nether world, netherworld, nightmare, noise, ordeal, outer space, oven, pain, pandemonium, passion, pen, penfold, perdition, persecution, pinfold, pit, place of confinement, poolroom, pound, purgatory, rack, racket, reprimand, scolding, sporting house, static, steam bath, subtropics, suffering, torment, torture, trial, tropics, underworld, unfathomed deeps, unknown depths, upbraiding, wassail