Where does “brokenhearted” come from?
Brokenhearted combines English broken from Old English brūcan and English heart from Old English heorte, both ultimately descending from Proto-Indo-European roots bʰruHg- and bʰreg- related to breaking.
brokenhearted (English): Grieved and disappointed, especially with the...
Definitions
- Grieved and disappointed, especially with the...
Ancestry of “brokenhearted”, step by step
brokenhearted traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hearted
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hearted | simple past tense and past participle of heart;... |
| 2 | Middle English | herted | Having a specified disposition, emotion, or... |
| 3 | Middle English | herte | The heart; One's inner self; the mind or... |
| 4 | Old English | heorte | heart |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hertā | heart |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hertô | heart |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱḗr | heart |
via English Broken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Broken | Torres Strait Creole |
| 2 | Middle English | broken | to use, enjoy, digest |
| 3 | Old English | brūcan | to use, enjoy; to enjoy, brook, use, possess,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | brūkan | to use, to employ; to consume |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | brūkaną | to make use of, employ, use, consume |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰruHg- | to make use of; have enjoyment of |