Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “heartache” come from?

Heartache comes from Middle English heorte-ece and Old English heortæċe, a compound of heart and ache denoting emotional or physical pain in the chest.

heartache (English): Very sincere and difficult emotional problems or...

Definitions

  1. Very sincere and difficult emotional problems or...

Ancestry of “heartache”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishheorteece—
2Old Englishheorteċeheartache
3Old Englisheċe—
4Proto-West Germanic*aki—
5Proto-Germanicakizache, pain
6Armenianաքիսweasel, least weasel, "Mustela nivalis"
7Old Armenianաքիսweasel, least weasel, "Mustela nivalis"

Words derived from “heartache”

  • heartachy
Every word from Old Armenian աքիս →