Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “heartthrob” come from?

heartthrob (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.

heartthrob (English): A heartbeat; The object of one’s desires or...

Definitions

  1. A heartbeat; The object of one’s desires or...

Ancestry of “heartthrob”, 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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr →