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
- A person who is always very kind; A person very...
Ancestry of “sweetheart”, step by step
sweetheart traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sweet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sweet | Having a pleasant taste, especially one relating... |
| 2 | Middle English | swete | sweet, pleasant-tasting; sweet in smell;... |
| 3 | Old English | swēte | sweet |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | swōtī | sweet |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swōtuz | sweet |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swéh₂dus | sweet |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sweh₂d- | sweet |