Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sweetheart” come from?

Sweetheart comes from English sweet and heart, where heart derives from Middle English herte, Old English heorte, Proto-Germanic herutaz, and Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr.

sweetheart (English): A person who is always very kind; A person very...

Definitions

  1. A person who is always very kind; A person very...

Ancestry of “sweetheart”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsweetHaving a pleasant taste, especially one relating...
2Middle Englishswetesweet, pleasant-tasting; sweet in smell;...
3Old Englishswētesweet
4Proto-West Germanicswōtīsweet
5Proto-Germanicswōtuzsweet
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswéh₂dussweet
7Proto-Indo-Europeansweh₂d-sweet

Words derived from “sweetheart”

  • sweethearting
  • sweethearthood
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sweh₂d- →