nirayaṁ

niraya

accusative singular masculine of niraya (noun)

hell
place of torment
state of severe suffering

Built from

ni- — prefix · down, into
Spatial prefix meaning descent or inward motion; from the same root as English nether and German nieder.
raya — root · going, way
Related to √i (to go); niraya is literally a 'going away' or 'place one has gone into' in the downward direction.

Analysis. nis (away from, out of) + aya (going) — a state one has gone into or fallen away from the human realm into.

Etymology. nis + √i (go). The prefix nis (out of, away from) combines with the root for motion to suggest a realm one descends into and becomes trapped away from the world of humans and devas. No direct cognates in English or Latin, but the spatial imagery of falling away is cognate with English nether (descended realm).

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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