Where does “heartland” come from?

Heartland comes from English heart and land, where heart derives from Middle English herte, Old English heorte, and Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr meaning heart or innermost part.

heartland (English): The central part of a region defined by...

Definitions

  1. The central part of a region defined by...

Ancestry of “heartland”, step by step

heartland traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English heart

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheartA muscular organ that pumps blood through the...
2Middle EnglishherteThe heart; One's inner self; the mind or...
3Old Englishheorteheart
4Proto-West Germanichertāheart
5Proto-Germanichertôheart
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱḗrheart

via English Land

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishLandThe part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water
2Middle EnglishlandAlternative form of lond; urine
3Old Englishhlandurine
4Proto-Germanichlandąurine
5Proto-Indo-Europeanklān-liquid, wet ground

Words derived from “heartland”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr →Every word from Proto-Germanic hertô →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hertā →