Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “heartrendingly” come from?

heartrendingly (English) comes from English heartrending, from English heart, from Middle English herte, from Old English heorte, from Proto-West Germanic hertā, from Proto-Germanic hertô, from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr — heart.

heartrendingly (English): In a heartrending manner

Definitions

  1. In a heartrending manner

Ancestry of “heartrendingly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheartrendingThat causes great grief, anguish or distress;...
2EnglishheartA muscular organ that pumps blood through the...
3Middle EnglishherteThe heart; One's inner self; the mind or...
4Old Englishheorteheart
5Proto-West Germanichertāheart
6Proto-Germanichertôheart
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱḗrheart
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr →