Where does “heartbroken” come from?
Heartbroken combines English heart from Old English heorte, from Proto-Germanic herutaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr, with English break from Proto-Indo-European bʰreg-, ultimately from bʰer- meaning to carry or bear.
heartbroken (English): Suffering from grief, especially after a failed...
Definitions
- Suffering from grief, especially after a failed...
Ancestry of “heartbroken”, step by step
heartbroken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English heart
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | heart | A muscular organ that pumps blood through the... |
| 2 | Middle English | herte | The heart; One's inner self; the mind or... |
| 3 | Old English | heorte | heart |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hertā | heart |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hertô | heart |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱḗr | heart |
via English Broken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Broken | Torres Strait Creole |
| 2 | Middle English | broken | to use, enjoy, digest |
| 3 | Old English | brūcan | to use, enjoy; to enjoy, brook, use, possess,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | brūkan | to use, to employ; to consume |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | brūkaną | to make use of, employ, use, consume |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰruHg- | to make use of; have enjoyment of |