Where does “softhearted” come from?
softhearted (English) comes from English hearted, from Middle English herted, from Middle English herte, from Old English heorte, from Proto-West Germanic hertā, from Proto-Germanic hertô, from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr — heart.
softhearted (English): Gentle; kind; sympathetic; Easily moved to sorrow...
Definitions
- Gentle; kind; sympathetic; Easily moved to sorrow...
Ancestry of “softhearted”, step by step
softhearted traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hearted
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hearted | simple past tense and past participle of heart;... |
| 2 | Middle English | herted | Having a specified disposition, emotion, or... |
| 3 | Middle English | herte | The heart; One's inner self; the mind or... |
| 4 | Old English | heorte | heart |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hertā | heart |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hertô | heart |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱḗr | heart |
via English soft
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | soft | Easily giving way under pressure; Smooth and... |
| 2 | Middle English | softe | soft |
| 3 | Old English | sōfte | softly |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | samftō | softly, gently |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ō | Creates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |