Where does “lovesick” come from?
Lovesick is a compound of English love and English seek, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European roots meaning desire and pursuit.
lovesick (English): Behaving oddly, or as though in distress, due to...
Definitions
- Behaving oddly, or as though in distress, due to...
Ancestry of “lovesick”, step by step
lovesick traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sick
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sick | In poor health; ill; Having an urge to vomit;... |
| 2 | English | sic | Thus; thus written; To mark with a bracketed sic;... |
| 3 | English | seek | To try to find; to look for; to search for; To... |
| 4 | Middle English | seke | Alternative form of seken |
| 5 | Old English | sēċan | to seek or inquire about |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | sōkijan | to seek, to look for |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | sōkijaną | to seek, look for |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂gyeti | to give a sign |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂g- | to seek out |
via English Love
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Love | radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter L |
| 2 | Middle English | love | love; strong and deep affection |
| 3 | Old English | lufu | love |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *lubu | love |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lubō | love, affection |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewbʰ- | to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lēw- | to sound, resound, sing out; to leave |