Where does “smarting” come from?

Smarting derives from Middle English smerte, Old English -ung, Proto-Germanic smertaną, and Proto-Indo-European (s)merd-, meaning to cause pain or suffer.

smarting (English): Painful, sore; Experiencing emotional pain or...

Definitions

  1. Painful, sore; Experiencing emotional pain or...

Ancestry of “smarting”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsmertyng—
2Old Englishsmeortunga smarting, an itching
3Old Englishsmeortanto smart; hurt
4Proto-Germanicsmertanąto hurt
5Proto-Indo-European(s)merd-to bite, to sting

Words derived from “smarting”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- →Every word from Proto-Germanic smertaną →Every word from Old English smeortan →