Where does “heartwrenching” come from?
heartwrenching (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.
heartwrenching (English): Having a painful emotional impact; causing grief...
Definitions
- Having a painful emotional impact; causing grief...
Ancestry of “heartwrenching”, step by step
heartwrenching traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English heart
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | heart | A muscular organ that pumps blood through the... |
| 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 |
via English wrenching
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wrenching | present participle of wrench; The act by which... |