English word origin

Etymology of helly

From Middle English helly, hellic, from Old English hellīċ (“of hell, hellish, infernal”), equivalent to hell + -y.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

adj

Hellish, infernal.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English helly, hellic, from Old English hellīċ (“of hell, hellish, infernal”), equivalent to hell + -y.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionhellyenm
Inherited-form mentionhellīċang · of hell, hellish, infernal
Word-formation componenthellen
Word-formation component-yen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "helly"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English helly"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hellīċ",
        "t": "of hell, hellish, infernal"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hellīċ (“of hell, hellish, infernal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hell",
        "3": "-y"
      },
      "expansion": "hell + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "helly",
      "helly#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hellic",
      "hellic#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hellīċ",
      "hellic#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hell",
      "hell#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Hellish, infernal."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "e4baad2a5439419c49e5b82ee3febf038abf50f48159c82a5605b6511ab8e5ad",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7eb63943d168c298b70c112878cfb0901b81062f8c4beee577212f8756d983d7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4022204
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Synonym of hell.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From hell + -y

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Word-formation componenthellen
Word-formation component-yen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hell",
        "3": "-y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "hell + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hell",
      "hell#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of hell."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "mildly",
        "slang",
        "vulgar"
      ],
      "recordId": "faf78082cbfb399ff808c882e72b7cfcbac93621c1ed41e6029a36b7a22d8eeb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "39da7ac502735e4b204de7a0ccd0de3b92602a26d8fe3d79f5f6c13eca384ccf",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4022205
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for helly →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-aGVsbHk