Where does “kindhearted” come from?
Kindhearted combines English kind, from Middle English cunde and Old English cynd (nature, essential character), with English heart, from Old English heorte, both ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁tis (birth, family) and ḱḗr (heart).
kindhearted (English): Having an innately kind disposition or character
Definitions
- Having an innately kind disposition or character
Ancestry of “kindhearted”, step by step
kindhearted traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English kind
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | kind | A type, race or category; a group of entities... |
| 2 | Middle English | kynde | Nature, disposition |
| 3 | Middle English | -nesse | Affixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns... |
| 4 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |
via English hearted
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hearted | simple past tense and past participle of heart;... |
| 2 | Middle English | herted | Having a specified disposition, emotion, or... |
| 3 | Middle English | herte | The heart; One's inner self; the mind or... |
| 4 | Old English | heorte | heart |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hertā | heart |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hertô | heart |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱḗr | heart |