1. [n]  noisy and unrestrained mischief; "raising blazes"
2. [n]  (colloquial) violent and excited activity; "they began to fight like sin"
3. [n]  a cause of difficulty and suffering; "war is hell"; "go to blazes"
4. [n]  (in various religions) the world of the dead; "he didn't want to go to hell when he died"
5. [n]  (Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment; "Hurl'd headlong...To bottomless perdition, there to dwell"- John Milton; "a demon from the depths of the pit"
6. [n]  any place of pain and turmoil; "the hell of battle"; "the inferno of the engine room"; "when you're alone Christmas is the pits";

Hell
In this fascinating guide, author Richard Craze examines the many mythologies of hell, from the Hades of the ancient Greeks to the vast, honeycombed hell of the Swahilis. Denizens of the underworld include Lucifer, Osiris, the benevolent God of the Underworld, and Persephone, along with demon hordes, sinners, and fallen angels.

more details ...

1. \Hell\, n. [AS. hell; akin to D. hel, OHG. hella, G.
   h["o]lle, Icel. hal, Sw. helfvete, Dan. helvede, Goth. halja,
   and to AS. helan to conceal. ???. Cf. {Hele}, v. t.,
   {Conceal}, {Cell}, {Helmet}, {Hole}, {Occult}.]
   1. The place of the dead, or of souls after death; the grave;
      -- called in Hebrew sheol, and by the Greeks hades.
            He descended into hell.               --Book of
                                                  Common Prayer.
            Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.  --Ps. xvi. 10.
   2. The place or state of punishment for the wicked after
      death; the abode of evil spirits. Hence, any mental
      torment; anguish. ``Within him hell.'' --Milton.
            It is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to
            hell.                                 --Shak.
   3. A place where outcast persons or things are gathered; as:
      (a) A dungeon or prison; also, in certain running games, a
          place to which those who are caught are carried for
          detention.
      (b) A gambling house. ``A convenient little gambling hell
          for those who had grown reckless.'' --W. Black.
      (c) A place into which a tailor throws his shreds, or a
          printer his broken type. --Hudibras.
   {Gates of hell}. (Script.) See {Gate}, n., 4.
   

2. \Hell\, v. t.
   To overwhelm. [Obs.] --Spenser.
   

derived from the Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In Scripture there are three words so rendered:

(1.) Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word sheol is derived from a root-word meaning "to ask," "demand;" hence insatiableness (Prov. 30:15, 16). It is rendered "grave" thirty-one times (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Sam. 2:6, etc.). The Revisers have retained this rendering in the historical books with the original word in the margin, while in the poetical books they have reversed this rule.

In thirty-one cases in the Authorized Version this word is rendered "hell," the place of disembodied spirits. The inhabitants of sheol are "the congregation of the dead" (Prov. 21:16). It is (a) the abode of the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job 24:19; Ps. 9:17; 31:17, etc.); (b) of the good (Ps. 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13, etc.).

Sheol is described as deep (Job 11:8), dark (10:21, 22), with bars (17:16). The dead "go down" to it (Num. 16:30, 33; Ezek. 31:15, 16, 17).

(2.) The Greek word hades of the New Testament has the same scope of signification as sheol of the Old Testament. It is a prison (1 Pet. 3:19), with gates and bars and locks (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 1:18), and it is downward (Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15).

The righteous and the wicked are separated. The blessed dead are in that part of hades called paradise (Luke 23:43). They are also said to be in Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22).

(3.) Gehenna, in most of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament, designates the place of the lost (Matt. 23:33). The fearful nature of their condition there is described in various figurative expressions (Matt. 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 16:24, etc.). (See HINNOM.)