Where does “fainthearted” come from?
fainthearted (English) comes from English hearted, from Middle English herted, from Middle English herte, from Old English heorte, from Proto-West Germanic hertā, from Proto-Germanic hertô, from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr — heart.
fainthearted (English): Faint of heart; irresolute; fearful
Definitions
- Faint of heart; irresolute; fearful
Ancestry of “fainthearted”, step by step
fainthearted 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 |