'hell' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'hel', where 'hel' referred to the netherworld or the place of the dead.

'hell' changed from Old English 'hel' and is related to Old Norse 'Hel'; over time the form became modern English 'hell' and its plural form 'hells' developed in regular English morphology.

Initially it meant 'the netherworld or realm of the dead'; over time it broadened to include 'a place of punishment' and acquired strong figurative and exclamatory uses (e.g., swearings and emphatic expressions).