Etymograph

English

heartless

Heartless comes from Middle English hertles ‘having no bravery or showing cowardice’, from Old English heortlēas ‘without courage’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱérd ‘heart’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱérd1‘heart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hertô2‘heart’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hertā3‘heart’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150heorte4‘heart (muscle)’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150heortlēas5‘without courage’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hertles5‘having no bravery or showing cowardice’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1782heartless5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hertô
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *hertā
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English heorte
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Old English heortleas
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English heartless
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia: “Cecilia then, though almost heartless, resolved upon talking with…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱérdWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hertô‘heart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hertôWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *hertā‘heart’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hertāWiktionary, Old English heorte‘heart’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150heorteWiktionary, Old English heortleas‘heart (muscle)’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150heortlēasWiktionary, English heartless‘without courage’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hertlesWiktionary, English heartless‘having no bravery or showing cowardice’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1782heartlessWiktionary, English heartless. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia: “Cecilia then, though almost heartless, resolved upon talking with…”

Formed from heart + -less

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-

…

Proto-Germanic *hertô

Proto-West Germanic *hertā

Old English heorte

Middle English harte

English heart

Linked words

through Old English heorte ‘heart (muscle)’

heartstrings, 3 more

Today it means

adj Without feeling, emotion, or concern for others; uncaring; cruel.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “heartless”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *hertô, Proto-West Germanic *hertā, Old English heorte, Old English heortleas. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱérd / heartless

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