Plural of 'hell': places or states of eternal punishment in various religions; or intensely unpleasant situations or experiences.
From Old English 'hel' (and Old Norse 'hel'), from Proto-Germanic 'halija' meaning 'concealed place.' The word originally just meant 'underworld' before religious concepts of punishment were attached to it.
The word 'hell' didn't originally mean punishment—it just meant 'hidden place' or 'underworld'—but when Christianity arrived in Germanic territories, they repurposed the word for their concept of damnation, completely changing what the word means forever!
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