Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Grieved and disappointed, especially with the...

Ancestry of “brokenhearted”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishheartedsimple past tense and past participle of heart;...
2Middle EnglishhertedHaving a specified disposition, emotion, or...
3Middle EnglishherteThe heart; One's inner self; the mind or...
4Old Englishheorteheart
5Proto-West Germanichertāheart
6Proto-Germanichertôheart
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱḗrheart

Words derived from “brokenhearted”

  • brokenheartedly
  • brokenheartedness
  • broken-heartedness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr →