English
hardship
Hardship comes from Old English heard ‘hard, harsh, austere, severe, rigorous, stern,…’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *harduz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*harduz‘hard’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hard(ī)‘hard’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150heard‘hard, harsh, austere, severe, rigorous, stern, stubborn, firm, hardy, brave’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hard
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500hardshipe
- Englishearliest quotation 1962hardship
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*harduz‘hard’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hard(ī)‘hard’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150heard‘hard, harsh, austere, severe, rigorous, stern, stubborn, firm, hardy, brave’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hard
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500hardshipe
- Englishearliest quotation 1962hardship
Earliest quotation: 1962, Dr. Beeching previews the plan for British Railways: “If train services of this kind were to be…”
Formed from hard + -ship
Proto-Germanic *harduz
Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī)
Old English heard ‘hard’
Middle English hard
English hard
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kret- ‘strong, powerful’
rather, bureaucracy, bureaucratic, aristocracy, bureaucrat, 42 more
through Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī) ‘hard’
through Old English heard ‘hard, harsh, austere, severe, rigorous, stern,…’
Today it means
noun Difficulty or trouble; hard times.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *harduz / hardship