Where does “heck-care” come from?

heck-care (English) comes from English Heck, from English Hell, from German hellen, from Middle High German hëllen, from Old High German hëllan, from Proto-Germanic hellaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- — to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot.

heck-care (English): Having a dismissively indifferent attitude;...

Definitions

  1. Having a dismissively indifferent attitude;...

Ancestry of “heck-care”, step by step

heck-care traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Heck

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHeckA hardy breed of domestic cattle, the result of an attempt to breed back the extinct aurochs from modern aurochs-derived cattle in the 1920s and 1930s
2EnglishHellAny of various places so named
3Germanhellento brighten
4Middle High Germanhëllento sound, to resound, to ring out; to echo
5Old High Germanhëllan
6Proto-Germanichellanąto resound, make a sound
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelh₁-to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot

via English care

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcareGrief, sorrow; Close attention; concern;...
2Middle Englishcaregrief; sorrow
3Old Englishcaruworry, anxiety, care; sorrow, grief
4Proto-West Germanickarucare, worry
5Proto-Germanickarōcomplaint, lament, grievance, moan; worry,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵeh₂r-to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁-Every word from Proto-Germanic hellanąEvery word from Old High German hëllan