Etymograph

English

smarting

Smarting comes from Old English smeortung ‘smarting, itching’, from Proto-Germanic *smertaną ‘to hurt’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- ‘to sting’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)merd-1‘to sting’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*smertaną1‘to hurt’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*smertan1‘to hurt, to smart’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150*smeortan2‘to smart’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150smeortung3‘smarting, itching’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500smertyng3
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1714smarting3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English smeortan
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English smeortung
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English smarting
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1714, Thomas Halyburton, Natural Religion Insufficient: “Strong they are; for they trample upon our light,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)merd-Wiktionary, Old English smeortan‘to sting’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*smertanąWiktionary, Old English smeortan‘to hurt’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*smertanWiktionary, Old English smeortan‘to hurt, to smart’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150*smeortanWiktionary, Old English smeortung‘to smart’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150smeortungWiktionary, English smarting‘smarting, itching’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500smertyngWiktionary, English smarting
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1714smartingWiktionary, English smarting. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1714, Thomas Halyburton, Natural Religion Insufficient: “Strong they are; for they trample upon our light,…”

Formed from smart + -ing

Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- ‘to bite, sting’

Proto-Germanic *smartaz ‘hurting, aching’

Proto-West Germanic *smart

Old English smeart ‘smarting, painful’

Middle English smert

English smart

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- ‘to sting’

remorse, morsel, mordant, 6 more

Today it means

adj Painful, sore.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “smarting”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Old English smeortan, Old English smeortung. 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 *(s)merd- / smarting

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