Middle English Dictionary Entry

helle n.
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Entry Info

Forms helle n. Also hel, elle, hele, hælle & (?errors) hellen, holle. Forms: sg. gen. helle(s; pl. h)elles.
Etymology OE hel & helle.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
(a) The Christian hell, place of damnation for evil men and angels; a particular hell or level of hell, regarded as having multiple locations or levels; (b) the Limbus Patrum, place where Patriarchs, Prophets, etc., awaited the Atonement; (c) hell personified, the power of hell; (d) fig. a state of misery; also, evil or baseness; (e) in OT use: the grave, death; in to ~, ?downward; ~ dale, the valley of death; (f) the classical underworld; (g) fro ~ ward, from hell, upward; to ~ ward, toward hell, downward.
Show 58 Quotations
2.
In cpds. & combs.: (a) descriptive of various aspects of hell: ~ bour, ~ cave, ~ cheste, ~ coste, ~ croft, ~ dep, ~ depnesse, ~ diche, ~ flor, ~ ground, ~ hirne, ~ hole, ~ kive, ~ lak, ~ logge, ~ marke, ~ pit, ~ pot, ~ welle, ~ weld, ~ winch; (b) descriptive of inhabitants of hell, devils, the damned; also evil men; ~ barn; ~ brond, one of the damned; ~ devel, ~ dogge, ~ fend; ~ gost, a human soul in hell; ~ hound, a hellhound, wicked person; also Cerberus; ~ huntere, ~ king, ~ michere, ~ pouke, ~ rach; ~ sone, a wicked person; ~ thede, ~ tike, ~ ware, ~ werrour, ~ whelp, ~ worm; (c) descriptive of the infernal milieu: ~ bale, ~ breth, ~ deth, ~ dimnes; ~ feste [cp. feste n. 4. (d), Luciferes feste]; ~ fir [see also ~ fir n.]; ~ flit, ~ glede, ~ hete, ~ night, ~ peine, ~ pine, ~ smoke, ~ stench; ~ thong, the lash of hell; ~ wite, punishment of hell; ~ wo, ~ woue, woe of hell; ~ wrak, penalty of hell; (d) describing. different parts of hell: ~ brerd, ~ brinke, ~ dore, ~ flod, ~ gate, ~ mouth; (e) in term of abuse, insultingly addressing a hemorrhoid: ~ berie.
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3.
(a) A lower room [in some cases, apparently for storing documents]; (b) ~ hous, a center of evil activities.
Show 4 Quotations
4.
In place names and surnames [see Smith PNElem. 1.242].
Show 5 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • (1450-51) Freeman R.in KRec.18203 : Alexand' atte Helle.
    • Note: Postdates sense 4.
  • c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)3602 : Wale þat eæuere ei sucche mon in to eælde [Otho: helle] sculde gan.
    • Note: New spelling
    Note: !Not inconceivable that this is "men into old age" rather than a spelling of helle.--per MM, though I don't have context to hand right now.

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