Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “soreness” come from?

Soreness comes from Middle English sornesse, from Old English sārnes, a derivative of Old English sār meaning painful or grievous.

soreness (English): The property, state, or condition of being sore;...

Definitions

  1. The property, state, or condition of being sore;...

Ancestry of “soreness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsornesAlternative form of sorenes
2Old Englishsārnesbodily pain; mental pain, affliction, grief
3Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
4Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
5Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
6Proto-West Germanic-ī-ness, -th
7Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
8Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
9Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →