Helwijk

Dutch

Etymology

First attested as de Hel in 1747. Compound of hel (“hell”) and wijk (“village, settlement”). Named after the De Hel Fortress. The French troops which occupied it in 1811 translated its name to enfer (“hell”), and the name was translated back to Dutch for the settlement that sprung up around it.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɦɛl.ʋɛi̯k/
Hyphenation: Hel‧wijk

Proper noun

Helwijk n

A village in Moerdijk, North Brabant, Netherlands
Synonym: Kiekendonk (Carnival nickname)

Derived terms

References

van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN