Where does “cheer” come from?
Cheer comes from Middle English cheer, from Old French chiere meaning "face" or "expression," from Latin cara meaning "dear" or "face," from Proto-Indo-European keh₂- meaning "to like" or "desire."
cheer (English): A cheerful attitude; happiness; a good, happy, or...
Definitions
- A cheerful attitude; happiness; a good, happy, or...
Ancestry of “cheer”, step by step
cheer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English chere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | chere | state of mind as indicated by facial expression;... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | chere | — |
| 3 | Old French | chiere | face; oblique/nominative feminine singular of... |
| 4 | Latin | cara | nominative feminine singular of cārus; nominative... |
| 5 | Latin | cārus | dear, beloved |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kāros | dear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kéh₂ros | loved; dear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂- | to desire, wish |