inferno: [19] Etymologically, an inferno is that which is ‘below’. The word comes ultimately from Latin infernus, meaning ‘situated below, subterranean’. In ancient mythology, the nether regions were the abode of the dead, so inferna came to be used as the equivalent of Dis, and the Greek Hades. In Jewish and Christian belief, this basement area was the realm of evil spirits, and consequently in late Latin infernus came to cover much the same semantic ground as English hell.
In Italian this became inferno, and English adopted it (strongly under the influence of the Inferno of Dante’s Divine Comedy) in that form in the early 19th century. Its metaphorical use for ‘intense heat’, inspired by the stereotypical flames of hell, is a comparatively recent development. Meanwhile the related infernal [14] (from late Latin infernalis) had long since taken up residence in English, and by the 18th century was being used as an expletive (as in ‘their infernal cheek’).
inferno (n.)
1834, from Italian inferno, from Latin infernus (see infernal).
雙語例句
1. Lucent's Inferno is an entire system, designed for embedded systems.
朗訊公司的Inferno是為嵌入式係統設計的完整係統.
來自互聯網
2. Inferno logically mirrors Java by including a virtual machine, programming language, and communications protocol.
Inferno包含 了虛擬機 、 編程語言和通信協議,故在邏輯上是Java的鏡像.
來自互聯網
3. Rescue workers fought to get to victims inside the inferno.
救援人員奮力營救大火中的受害者。
來自辭典例句
4. This was an inferno of pain and smell and noise and hurry -- hurry -- hurry!
這是一個充滿了痛苦、臭味、喧囂和忙亂的地獄 -- 忙亂,多麽忙亂啊!
來自飄（部分）
5. The inferno spewed a deadly plume of radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere.