Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “heedful” come from?

Heedful comes from Middle English -ful and Old English -ful, suffix forms from Proto-Germanic hōdijaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kadʰ- and pleh₁-.

heedful (English): taking heed; paying close attention; mindful

Definitions

  1. taking heed; paying close attention; mindful

Ancestry of “heedful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheedCareful attention; To guard, protect; To mind; to...
2Middle Englishhēden—
3Old Englishhēdanto heed, take care, observe, attend, guard, take...
4Old Norsehéðanhence
5Old Norsehérhere
6Proto-Germanichē₂rhere, in this place
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
8Middle Englishkyt—
9Germankitt—
10Old High Germankuti—
11Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
12Proto-Germanickweduzresin
13Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
14Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “heedful”

  • heedfully
  • unheedful
  • heedfulness
  • unheedfully
  • unheedfulness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →