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netherworld

/ˌnɛðərˈwʌrld/
IPA guide

Other forms: netherworlds

The netherworld is an alternate universe for the dead, aka hell. Sartre portrayed it as a room with annoying furniture and a quirky love triangle. On Earth, netherworld refers to a secret underworld or a no-man’s land.

In many religions and mythologies, including Buddhism and Islam, there is some concept of a world after death, a place where departed souls go. The netherworld is often deep underground, and sometimes the dead are sent there as a kind of punishment, although often it's merely a stop on the way to an afterlife. A netherworld up here is usually some seedy underworld-type situation where secret things happen. Netherworld, "place beneath the earth," comes from nether, "down or below."

Definitions of netherworld
  1. noun
    (religion) the world of the dead
    see moresee less
    type of:
    fictitious place, imaginary place, mythical place
    a place that exists only in imagination; a place said to exist in fictional or religious writings
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