Where does “halfhearted” come from?
Halfhearted comes from Middle English half combined with Middle English -ed and Old English heorte, from Proto-Germanic herutaz and Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr, both referring to the heart as the seat of courage and conviction.
halfhearted (English): Lacking full energy, effort, commitment, or...
Definitions
- Lacking full energy, effort, commitment, or...
Ancestry of “halfhearted”, step by step
halfhearted 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 half
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | half | Consisting of a half; Consisting of some... |
| 2 | Middle English | half | half |
| 3 | Old English | healf | side; half; partly |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *halb | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | halbaz | half |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |