English
sore
Sore comes from Old English sār ‘ache, wound’, from Proto-West Germanic *sair ‘painful, sore’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂iro-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂iro-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sairaz‘sore, painful’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sair‘painful, sore’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sār‘ache, wound’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sor
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602sore
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂iro-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sairaz‘sore, painful’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sair‘painful, sore’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sār‘ache, wound’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sor
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602sore
Earliest quotation: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “[…]and your water is a sore decayer of your…”
Linked words
through Old English sār ‘ache, wound’
Another origin of sore
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400seuras sor‘sorrel’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sor‘sorrel’
- Englishtodaysore
Today it means
adj Causing pain or discomfort; painfully sensitive.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *seh₂iro- / sore