Where does “mournful” come from?
Mournful derives from Middle English -ful and Old English -ful combined with Proto-Germanic murnaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)mer-, connected to pleh₁- meaning to fill.
mournful (English): Filled with grief or sadness; being in a state in...
Definitions
- Filled with grief or sadness; being in a state in...
Ancestry of “mournful”, step by step
mournful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mourn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mourn | To express sadness or sorrow for; to grieve over;... |
| 2 | Middle English | mornen | To grieve; to feel sad or upset |
| 3 | Old English | murnan | to care for, worry about; to be sorrowful, to... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | murnaną | to feel sorrow or grief; to mourn |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mer- | to fall into thinking, remember, care for; to... |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |