English
Weltschmerz
Weltschmerz comes from German Weltschmerz ‘Weltschmerz, world-weariness’.
- Germanc. 1650–presentWeltschmerz‘Weltschmerz, world-weariness’
- Englishearliest quotation 1864same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentWeltschmerz‘Weltschmerz, world-weariness’
- Englishearliest quotation 1864same form
Earliest quotation: 1864, The Quarterly Review: “And in this respect [Ludwig] Uhland presents a marked…”
A compound of Welt ‘world’ + Schmerz ‘physical pain, ache’
Proto-Germanic *weraldiz ‘lifetime, worldly existence’
Proto-West Germanic *weraldi ‘world’
Old High German wëralt ‘world’
Middle High German wërlt ‘world’
German Welt ‘world’
Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- ‘to bite, to sting’
Proto-Germanic *smertaną ‘to hurt’
Proto-West Germanic *smertan ‘to hurt, to smart’
Old High German smerza
Middle High German smerze
German Schmerz ‘physical pain, ache’
The story
The German word was coined by the author Jean Paul (1763–1825) in his novel Selina (posthumously published in 1827).
Every English word from German Weltschmerz
Today it means
noun An apathetic or pessimistic view of life; depression concerning or discomfort with the human condition or state of the world; mal du siècle, world-weariness.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Weltschmerz / Weltschmerz