Where does “smart” come from?
Smart comes from Middle English smerte, from Old English smeart, from Proto-Germanic smertaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd-, a root meaning to cut or bite.
smart (English): To hurt or sting; To cause a smart or sting in;...
Definitions
- To hurt or sting; To cause a smart or sting in;...
Ancestry of “smart”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | smerten | To smart, injure, cause pain; To smart, hurt, be... |
| 2 | Old English | smeortan | to smart; hurt |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | smertaną | to hurt |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)merd- | to bite, to sting |
Words derived from “smart”