heart

Where does the word "heart" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic hertǭ, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Heart’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: hertǭ meant “heart.” Cognate with Latin 'cor, cordis', as in 'cordial', and Greek 'kardia'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as heorte. In Old English poetry the seat of courage, thought and feeling. It reached English by 1500s as heart. 'by heart', from memory, dates from the late 1300s. Today, heart means the organ that pumps blood; the centre of feeling.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient hertǭ "heart", cognate with Latin 'cor, cordis', as in 'cordial', and Greek 'kardia'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s heorte "heart", in Old English poetry the seat of courage, thought and feeling.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s heart "heart", 'by heart', from memory, dates from the late 1300s.