Where does “heartstrings” come from?
Heartstrings is a compound of English heart from Old English heorte, from Proto-Germanic herutaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr meaning heart, and English string.
heartstrings (English): The tendons once thought to brace the heart;...
Definitions
- The tendons once thought to brace the heart;...
Ancestry of “heartstrings”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hartestrynges | — |
| 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 |