Heartbreak

How to spell heartbreak

10 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce heartbreak

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does heartbreak mean?

1. nounOverwhelming grief or distress, especially from lost love, disappointment, or loss.

Heartbreak in a sentence

• The sudden end of their marriage caused her years of quiet heartbreak.

• Losing the championship in the final minute was pure heartbreak for the team.

Where does heartbreak come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English compound, built from two of the oldest words in the language: heart, from Old English heorte, and break, from Old English brecan, both inherited from common Germanic roots. The heart had been treated as the seat of feeling and courage long before this pairing settled, so the image of a heart literally being shattered by grief was a natural one. The combined noun heartbreak entered written English around the late sixteenth century, with the related verb 'to break someone's heart' attested even earlier. Its long popularity owes much to writers and dramatists who used it for the sharp pain of lost love and bereavement. Because both halves are plain Anglo-Saxon words spelled exactly as they sound to a modern ear, the spelling is unusually transparent; the only thing to remember is that it is written as one solid word, with the silent design of neither part disturbed.

How the word is built

• heart (the organ, seat of emotion, from Old English heorte)
• break (to shatter, from Old English brecan)