 The word has cognates in all branches of the Germanic languages, including Old English "hell" (and thus Modern English "hell"), Old Frisian "helle", Old Saxon "hellia", Old High German "hella", and Gothic "halja".All forms ultimately derive from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic feminine noun *"xaljō" ('concealed place, the underworld').In turn, the Proto-Germanic form derives from the o-grade form of the Proto-Indo-European root *"kel-", *"kol"-