Inferno

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)nəʊ

Origin

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,

Full definition of inferno

Noun

1. Hell-like place or situation.
2. A large fire, a conflagration (conflagration)
• 2006, w, Internal Combustion Chapter 1, 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.

Related terms

• infernal

Anagrams

• nonfire