Where does “tearful” come from?
Tearful comes from Middle English -ful and -en, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dóru and pleh₁-, roots associated with wood and fullness respectively.
tearful (English): Accompanied by tears; crying, or about to cry;...
Definitions
- Accompanied by tears; crying, or about to cry;...
Ancestry of “tearful”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ful | Used to form adjectives from nouns. Full of,... |
| 2 | Middle English | -ful | Appended to nouns to form adjectives denoting... |
| 3 | Old English | -ful | full of; -ful |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -fullaz | -ful |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |