Etymograph

English

helles

Helles comes from German Helles ‘a kind of lager’, from hell ‘bright’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to call, make noise’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-1‘to call, make noise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hellaną1‘to resound, make a sound’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*halliz1‘resounding’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050hel1‘resounding’
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350hel1‘resounding, loud, shining, bright’
  6. Germanc. 1650–presenthell2‘bright’
  7. Germanc. 1650–presentHelles3‘a kind of lager’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2000helles3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, German hell
  2. 2 Wiktionary, German Helles
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English helles
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2000, Horst D. Dornbusch, Bavarian Helles: History: “On the other hand, the brewing and fermentation processes…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-Wiktionary, German hell‘to call, make noise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hellanąWiktionary, German hell‘to resound, make a sound’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hallizWiktionary, German hell‘resounding’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050helWiktionary, German hell‘resounding’
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350helWiktionary, German hell‘resounding, loud, shining, bright’
  6. Germanc. 1650–presenthellWiktionary, German Helles‘bright’
  7. Germanc. 1650–presentHellesWiktionary, English helles‘a kind of lager’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2000hellesWiktionary, English helles. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2000, Horst D. Dornbusch, Bavarian Helles: History: “On the other hand, the brewing and fermentation processes…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to call, make noise’

low, clear, claim, classic, calendar, declare, claire, clarity, haul, reconciliation, clarification, proclamation, classify, reconcile, reclamation, clarinet, exclamation, clarion, squeal, claret, clamor, clamour, irreconcilable, clas, conciliar, ecclesiastic, ecclesial, 36 more

Today it means

noun A type of lightly-hopped pale lager traditionally produced in southern Germany.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “helles”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for German hell, German Helles. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- / helles

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