Where does “heartstring” come from?

heartstring (English) comes 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.

heartstring (English): singular of heartstrings

Definitions

  1. singular of heartstrings

Ancestry of “heartstring”, step by step

heartstring 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 string

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstringA long, thin and flexible structure made from...
2Middle Englishstring—
3Old Englishstrengstring
4Proto-Germanicstrangizstring
5Proto-Indo-Europeanstrengʰ-to twist; rope, cord
6Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr →