Hella is a diminutive form of names beginning with 'Hel', such as Helga or Helena. In modern usage, particularly in American English, it has evolved into a slang term originating from and often associated with San Francisco's East Bay area in Northern California. It functions as an intensifying adverb, used in phrases like 'hella bad' or 'hella good'. The term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2002, with its first recorded use cited in the Toronto Star in 1987. It is believed to be a...