inferno

[in-fur-noh, een-fer-naw]

noun

plural

infernos 

1. hell; the infernal regions.

2. a place or region that resembles hell.

   The ironworks was an inferno of molten steel and half-naked bodies.

   Synonyms: oven, hellhole, furnace

3. (initial capital letter, italics),  the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy, depicting hell and the suffering of the damned.

inferno

/ ɪnˈfɜːnəʊ /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) hell; the infernal region

2. any place or state resembling hell, esp a conflagration

Inferno

1. The first section of The Divine Comedy, by Dante. Inferno is the Italian word for “hell.”

By extension, an “inferno” is a hot and terrible place or condition.

Word History and Origins

Origin of inferno¹

1825–35; < Italian < Late Latin infernus hell, noun use of Latin infernus; infernal

Word History and Origins

Origin of inferno¹

C19: from Italian, from Late Latin infernus hell

Example Sentences

To the north, a sickly orange haze hung along the horizon, a reminder of the inferno that had reduced parts of their school to a ragged tangle of charred masonry, metal and wood.

From Los Angeles Times

As the Allies gained the upper hand, the names of certain cities went into history for their bomb-generated firestorms and then radioactive infernos.

From Salon

They were filled with workers who had sought sanctuary from the inferno.

From BBC

The Palisades and Eaton fires in January were infernos of biblical dimensions.

From Los Angeles Times

The inferno roared through Altadena, killing 19 people and destroying 9,400 homes and other structures.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• purgatory