Hellion
/ˈhɛl.i.ən/noun
A mischievous, rowdy, or troublesome person.
Did you know?Hellion is a later English dialect word, probably formed from hell plus a French-style ending, so its menace is more theatrical than ancient — but the hell-root is the same one that names the underworld in English.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hel
“the underworld; the abode of the dead, later the place of punishment”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*haljō
“the underworld, hidden place of the dead”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to cover, conceal; hidden”
16th–17th Century
English
hellion
“a wicked person; later, a mischievous or unruly person”
Modern English
English
hellion
“a wild, troublesome, or spirited person”