inferno

inferno

See also: Inferno

English

Etymology

From Italian inferno (“hell”), from Latin infernus (“of the lower regions”), inferna (“the lower regions”); see infernal.

The meaning "big fire" came as a figurative use from the traditional idea of hellfire.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɝnoʊ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)nəʊ

Noun

inferno (plural infernos)

1. A place or situation resembling Hell.
   • 1899, D. C. Worcester, The Philippine Islands and Their People:

     At each sudden explosion in the inferno below they sprang back from the brink [of the volcanic crater].

2. A large fire; a conflagration.
   • 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion‎:

     Blast after blast, fiery outbreak after fiery outbreak, like a flaming barrage from within, […] most of Edison's grounds soon became an inferno. As though on an incendiary rampage, the fires systematically devoured the contents of Edison's headquarters and facilities.

   • 2021 May 5, Drachinifel, Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?‎, archived from the original on 8 August 2022, retrieved 7 August 2022, 34:59 from the start:

     Unfortunately for Admiral Kurita, this is where the good news ends. The fire started by New Jersey's hit amidships has spread, and there is now a towering inferno that occupies the middle third of the Japanese battleship.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:afterlife

Related terms

• infernal

Translations

place or situation resembling Hell

Arabic: جَحِيم‎ (jaḥīm), جَهَنَّم‎ m (jahannam) Bashkir: тамуҡ (tamuq), йәһәннәм (yähännäm) Bulgarian: ад (bg) m (ad), пъкъл (bg) m (pǎkǎl) Chinese: Mandarin: 地獄／地狱 (zh) (dìyù) Danish: inferno n Finnish: pätsi (fi) (extremely hot place); helvetti (fi), horna (fi), inferno (fi) (generally); tulihelvetti (heavy bombardment) French: enfer (fr) m German: Hölle (de) f, Inferno (de) n Greek: κόλαση (el) f (kólasi) Italian: inferno (it) m Japanese: 地獄 (ja) (じごく, jigoku) Korean: 지옥(地獄) (ko) (jiok) Portuguese: inferno (pt) m Russian: ад (ru) m (ad), пе́кло (ru) n (péklo) Spanish: infierno (es) m Swedish: inferno (sv) n Vietnamese: địa ngục (vi) (地獄)

large fire

Arabic: جَحِيم‎ f (jaḥīm), سَعِير‎ (saʿīr) Danish: inferno n Dutch: vuurzee (nl) f, inferno (nl) n Finnish: pätsi (fi), liekkimeri (fi), horna (fi) French: incendie (fr) m, brasier (fr) m Japanese: 業火 (ja) (gōka), 猛火 (ja) (mōka) Latin: incendium (la) Maori: toronga, ahi nui whakaharahara Norwegian: Bokmål: inferno n Nynorsk: inferno n Portuguese: inferno (pt) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

German: (please verify) Inferno (de) n

Further reading

• inferno in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• inferno at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Fronnie, nonfire

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Dutch

Etymology

From Italian inferno (“hell”), from Latin infernus (“of the lower regions”), inferna (“the lower regions”); see infernal. The meaning "big fire" came as a figurative use from the traditional idea of hellfire.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

inferno n (plural inferno's, diminutive infernootje n)

1. hell-like place or situation.
2. hellfire
3. a large fire

Synonyms

• (a hell-like place): onderwereld
• (hellfire): hellevuur
• (a large fire): vuurzee, vlammenzee

Related terms

• infernaal

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Finnish

Etymology

From Italian inferno.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈinferno/, [ˈiɱfe̞rno̞]
• Rhymes: -inferno
• Syllabification^(key): in‧fer‧no

Noun

inferno

1. inferno (place resembling hell, large fire)

Declension

Inflection of inferno (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)
nominative		inferno	infernot
genitive		infernon	infernojen infernoiden infernoitten
partitive		infernoa	infernoja infernoita
illative		infernoon	infernoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		inferno	infernot
accusative	nom.	inferno	infernot
	gen.	infernon
genitive		infernon	infernojen infernoiden infernoitten
partitive		infernoa	infernoja infernoita
inessive		infernossa	infernoissa
elative		infernosta	infernoista
illative		infernoon	infernoihin
adessive		infernolla	infernoilla
ablative		infernolta	infernoilta
allative		infernolle	infernoille
essive		infernona	infernoina
translative		infernoksi	infernoiksi
instructive		—	infernoin
abessive		infernotta	infernoitta
comitative		—	infernoineen

Possessive forms of inferno (type palvelu)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	infernoni	infernomme
2nd person	infernosi	infernonne
3rd person	infernonsa

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Galician

A 15th-century depiction. Santa María de Labrada, Galicia.

Etymology

Inherited from Old Portuguese inferno, from Latin īnfernus (“infernal; of the lower regions”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iɱˈfɛɾno̝/

Noun

inferno m (plural infernos)

1. (Christianity) hell
2. (figurative) a very unpleasable or negative situation

Derived terms

• infernal
• inferniño

References

• “inferno” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “inferno” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “inferno” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “inferno” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

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Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /inˈfɛr.no/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛrno
• Hyphenation: in‧fèr‧no

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin īnfernus (“of the lower regions”), derived from īnferus (“low”).

Adjective

inferno (feminine inferna, masculine plural inferni, feminine plural inferne)

1. hellish, infernal
2. (uncommon) lower, inferior

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Late Latin īnfernus, īnfernum (“the depths of the earth”), noun use of īnfernus (“of the lower regions”), derived from īnferus (“low”).

Noun

inferno m (plural inferni)

1. hell
2. inferno

Related terms

• infernale

Descendants

• → Dutch: inferno
• → English: inferno
• → German: Inferno
• → Italiot Greek: ινφιέρνο (infiérno)
• → Norwegian: inferno
• → Swedish: inferno

Etymology 3

From the toponym Inferno (a place near Sondrio).

Noun

inferno m (plural inferni)

1. a kind of red wine

Further reading

• inferno¹ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• inferno² in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• inferno³ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• frenino, nefroni

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Latin

Adjective

īnfernō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of īnfernus

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Italian inferno, from Latin infernus.

Noun

inferno n (definite singular infernoet, indefinite plural inferno or infernoer, definite plural infernoa or infernoene)

1. an inferno

References

• “inferno” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “inferno” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian inferno, from Latin infernus.

Noun

inferno n (definite singular infernoet, indefinite plural inferno, definite plural infernoa)

1. an inferno

References

• “inferno” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Old Portuguese inferno, iferno, from Latin īnfernus (“infernal; of the lower regions”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩˈfɛʁ.nu/ [ĩˈfɛɦ.nu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩˈfɛʁ.nu/ [ĩˈfɛɦ.nu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ĩˈfɛɾ.nu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ĩˈfɛʁ.nu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩˈfɛɻ.no/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩˈfɛɾ.nu/

• (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ĩ.ˈfɛɻ.nu/
• Hyphenation: in‧fer‧no

Noun

inferno m (plural infernos)

1. (Christianity) hell (where sinners go)
2. (figurative) a very unpleasant or negative situation
3. (figurative) a very hot place

Interjection

inferno!

1. hell (expressing discontent, unhappiness, or anger)

Related terms

• infernal
• inferninho

Further reading

• “inferno” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

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Swedish

Noun

inferno n

1. an inferno; an extremely dangerous, chaotic and generally overwhelming situation

Usage notes

• Swedes would associate inferno with Dante but also with August Strindberg

Declension

Declension of inferno
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	inferno	infernot	infernon	infernona
Genitive	infernos	infernots	infernons	infernonas

Related terms

• infernalisk