tear

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

Tear’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: tahrą meant “tear.” Cognate with Greek 'dakry' and Latin 'lacrima', as in 'lachrymose'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as tēar. Unrelated to 'tear', to rip, despite the spelling. It reached English by 1500s as tear. 'crocodile tears' dates from the 1560s, from the tale that crocodiles weep to lure victims. Today, tear means a drop of salty liquid from the eye.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient tahrą "tear", cognate with Greek 'dakry' and Latin 'lacrima', as in 'lachrymose'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s tēar "tear", unrelated to 'tear', to rip, despite the spelling.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s tear "teardrop", 'crocodile tears' dates from the 1560s, from the tale that crocodiles weep to lure victims.