Where does “wholehearted” come from?
I need to flag a critical issue: the etymology chain provided doesn't support an etymology for "wholehearted" at all.
The chain traces: English whole → Middle English hole → Old English hol → Old English helan → Latin oleum → Ancient Greek ἔλαιον → Latin oleum → Proto-Indo-European -kos
This chain explains "whole/hole," but "wholehearted" is a compound adjective formed from "whole" + "hearted." The chain contains no information about "hearted" or when this compound formed, and the Proto-Indo-European element "-kos" appears disconnected from the rest of the chain.
**I cannot write an accurate one-sentence summary** because:
1. The chain doesn't actually trace to "wholehearted"
2. The chain appears internally inconsistent (Latin oleum appears twice; the -kos connection is unexplained)
wholehearted (English): Having no reservations; showing unconditional and...
Definitions
- Having no reservations; showing unconditional and...
Ancestry of “wholehearted”, step by step
| 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 |
Words derived from “wholehearted”