Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “tēar” come from?

tēar (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic tah(h)r, from Proto-Germanic tahrą, from Proto-Indo-European dáḱru-, from Proto-Indo-European dr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru- — eye bitter.

Ancestry of “tēar”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanictah(h)rtear
2Proto-Germanictahrątear
3Proto-Indo-Europeandáḱru-tears; tear
4Proto-Indo-Europeandr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru-eye bitter

Words derived from “tēar”

  • torn
  • tear
  • tearing
  • tar
  • tearful
  • tarmac
  • tarpaulin
  • tearfully
  • teary
  • tars
  • tearless
  • teardrop
  • tearfulness
  • tearstained
  • teardown
  • tarpaper
  • tarball
  • tearjerker
  • tearsheet
  • tearaway
  • tarlike
  • untar
  • tearer
  • tearstreaked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru- →