Where does “careful” come from?
careful (Middle English) comes from Old English carful, from Old English caru, from Proto-West Germanic karu, from Proto-Germanic karō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵeh₂r- — to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry.
Ancestry of “careful”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | carful | anxious; careful |
| 2 | Old English | caru | worry, anxiety, care; sorrow, grief |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | karu | care, worry |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | karō | complaint, lament, grievance, moan; worry,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵeh₂r- | to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry |
Words derived from “careful”