Where does “smart” come from?

smart (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch smarte, from Proto-Germanic smertaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- — to bite, to sting.

smart (Dutch): pain, sorrow, grief

Definitions

  1. pain, sorrow, grief

Ancestry of “smart”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchsmarte
2Proto-Germanicsmertanąto hurt
3Proto-Indo-European(s)merd-to bite, to sting

Words derived from “smart

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd-