Gehenna

[ gi-hen-uh ]

noun
  1. the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where propitiatory sacrifices were made to Moloch. 2 Kings 23:10.

  1. any place of extreme torment or suffering.

Origin of Gehenna

1
From Late Latin, from Greek Géenna, from Hebrew Gē-Hinnōm “hell,” short for gē ben Hinnōm, literally, “valley of the son of Hinnom”

Words Nearby Gehenna

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Gehenna in a sentence

  • The hose shot forth a flash like a diamond; the water-spirit fell into the glowing Gehenna.

    Black Diamonds | Mr Jkai
  • Follow me not; for, as the Most High rules, you shall curse disobedience in the quenchless Gehenna!

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • Dow overheard the remark, and rising, preached to his hearers such a sermon on Gehenna that they never forgot it, or him.

    Ocean to Ocean on Horseback | Willard Glazier
  • Row—row, you blue-faced sons of Gehenna, or she'll eat all four of you!

  • The leader of one line was Gehenna, and the next two ships astern of her were Eblis and Shaitan, in the order given.

    Sea Warfare | Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for Gehenna

Gehenna

/ (ɡɪˈhɛnə) /


noun
  1. Old Testament the valley below Jerusalem, where children were sacrificed and where idolatry was practised (II Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 19:6) and where later offal and refuse were slowly burned

  2. New Testament Judaism a place where the wicked are punished after death

  1. a place or state of pain and torment

Origin of Gehenna

1
C16: from Late Latin, from Greek Geena, from Hebrew Gê' Hinnōm, literally: valley of Hinnom, symbolic of hell

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012