Where does “smitten” come from?
Smitten comes from Middle English smiten, Old English smītan, Proto-Germanic smītaną, and Proto-Indo-European smeyd-, a root meaning to smear or daub.
smitten (English): Affected by an act of smiting; past participle of...
Definitions
- Affected by an act of smiting; past participle of...
Ancestry of “smitten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | smiten | To fight, enter combat, attack; To strike, land... |
| 2 | Old English | smiten | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | smitanaz | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | smītaną | to cast; sling; hurl; to hit; strike; to smear;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | smeyd- | to smear, whick, strike, rub; to smear, whisk,... |
Words derived from “smitten”