Where does “heartbroke” come from?
heartbroke (English) comes from English broke, from Middle English broce, from Old English gebroc, from Old English brecan, from Proto-West Germanic brekan, from Proto-Germanic brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- — to shine, shimmer.
heartbroke (English): heartbroken
Definitions
- heartbroken
Ancestry of “heartbroke”, step by step
heartbroke traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English broke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | broke | simple past tense of break; past participle of... |
| 2 | Middle English | broce | — |
| 3 | Old English | gebroc | fragment |
| 4 | Old English | brecan | to break; to break into a place |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | brekan | to break |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brekaną | to break |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrēǵ- | to shine, shimmer |