Where does “heartburn” come from?
Heartburn comes from Middle English herte-bren, a compound of herte (heart) and bren (to burn).
heartburn (English): A burning pain in the chest that is caused by...
Definitions
- A burning pain in the chest that is caused by...
Ancestry of “heartburn”, step by step
heartburn traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Burn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Burn | OS grid ref SE5928 |
| 2 | Middle English | brennen | to burn |
| 3 | Old Norse | brenna | to burn with a flame; to be consumed by fire;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | brannijaną | to cause to burn, to set on fire |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
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 Middle English hertbryne
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hertbryne | — |