Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "inferno" come from? It comes from Latin infernus, passing through Italian before entering English (1800s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "inferno" come from? It comes from Latin infernus, passing through Italian before entering English (1800s).
Inferno’s story begins in Latin: infernus meant “the underworld.” Meaning "of the lower regions", the underworld. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as inferno. Named in Dante's poem describing the depths of Hell. It reached English by 1800s as inferno. Dante's 'Inferno' (early 1300s) made the Italian word famous. Today, inferno means a large, uncontrollable fire, or a place resembling hell.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient infernus "the underworld", meaning "of the lower regions", the underworld.
- Stage 2 · Italian · medieval inferno "hell", named in Dante's poem describing the depths of Hell.
- Stage 3 · English · 1800s inferno "a large, raging fire", Dante's 'Inferno' (early 1300s) made the Italian word famous.