earnest
English
/ˈɝnɪst/, /ˈɜːnɪst/
noun
Definitions
- Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.
- Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to joking or pretence)
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English ernest inherited from Old English eornest inherited from Proto-Germanic *ernustuz (fight, struggle, solidity, strength, earnest), *arniz (diligent, capable, efficient, sure) derived from Proto-Indo-European *er- (excite, move, grow, arouse, increase, cause to move) inherited from Middle English eornest inherited from Old English eornoste (zealous, serious, earnest).
Origin
Old English
eornoste
Gloss
zealous, serious, earnest
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- Ernest English
- Ernie English
- Ernst English
- earnester English
- earnestful English
- earnestly English
- earnestness English
- earnesty English
- overearnest English
- overearnestly English
- overearnestness English
- Ernst German
- Ernstfall German
- bierernst German
- ernst German
- ernsthaft German
- todernst German
- Ernesto Italian
- ernst Dutch, Flemish
- ernstig Dutch, Flemish
- ernstvuurwerk Dutch, Flemish
- Ernesto Spanish, Castilian
- *er- Proto-Indo-European
- Ernesto Portuguese
- *arniz Proto-Germanic
- *ernustuz Proto-Germanic
- *rausą Proto-Germanic
- エルンスト Japanese
- eornest Old English
- eornost Old English
- eornoste Old English
- eornest Middle English
- ernest Middle English
- ernestly Middle English
- Ernesto Esperanto
- ernst Middle Dutch
- ernust Old High German
- Eescht Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- eescht Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- *𐌰𐍂𐌽𐍃 Gothic
- 𐌰𐍂𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰 Gothic
- ernost Old Dutch
- ernist Old Saxon
- ernust Old Saxon
- èèrnscht Alemannic German
- earnst Western Frisian
- ernst Old Frisian