From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
hell
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 on earth,
hellhole, snake pit, the pits, inferno]
2: a cause of difficulty and suffering; "war is hell"; "go to
blazes" [syn: 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" [syn: Hell,
perdition, Inferno, infernal region, {nether
region}, the pit] [ant: Heaven]
4: (religion) the world of the dead; "he didn't want to go to
hell when he died" [syn: Hel, Hell, Hades, {infernal
region}, netherworld, Scheol, underworld]
5: violent and excited activity; "they began to fight like sin"
[syn: sin]
6: noisy and unrestrained mischief; "raising blazes" [syn:
blaze]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Hell \Hell\, v. t.
To overwhelm. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
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.]
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1. The place of the dead, or of souls after death; the grave;
-- called in Hebrew sheol, and by the Greeks hades.
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He descended into hell. --Book of
Common Prayer.
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Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. --Ps. xvi. 10.
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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.
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It is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell. --Shak.
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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.
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Gates of hell. (Script.) See Gate, n., 4.
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