Where does “chearfulness” come from?
chearfulness (English) comes from English chearful, from English cheerful, from English cheer, from Middle English chere, from Anglo-Norman chere, from Old French chiere, from Latin cara, from Latin cārus — to desire, wish.
Ancestry of “chearfulness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chearful | Archaic spelling of cheerful |
| 2 | English | cheerful | Noticeably happy and optimistic; Bright and... |
| 3 | English | cheer | A cheerful attitude; happiness; a good, happy, or... |
| 4 | Middle English | chere | state of mind as indicated by facial expression;... |
| 5 | Anglo-Norman | chere | — |
| 6 | Old French | chiere | face; oblique/nominative feminine singular of... |
| 7 | Latin | cara | nominative feminine singular of cārus; nominative... |
| 8 | Latin | cārus | dear, beloved |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kāros | dear |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kéh₂ros | loved; dear |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂- | to desire, wish |