Etymology Explorer › English

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

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

Words derived from “heartland”

  • heartlander
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr →