Smart is from old German

Thinkings and poems 2 Minutes
 o;fsmart
smɑːt/
adjective
adjective: smart; comparative adjective: smarter; superlative adjective: smartest
  1. 1.
    (of a person) clean, tidy, and well dressed.
    “you look very smart”
    IMG_0042synonyms: well dressed, well turned out, fashionably dressed, fashionable,stylish, chic, modish, elegant, neat, besuited, spruce, trim, dapper,debonair; More
    antonyms: scruffy
  2. 2.
    informal
    having or showing a quick-witted intelligence.
    “if he was that smart he would never have been tricked”
    photo05791synonyms: clever, bright, intelligent, sharp, sharp-witted, quick-witted, nimble-witted, shrewd, astute, acute, apt, able;

    well educated, well read;
    perceptive, percipient, discerning;
    informalbrainy, savvy, streetwise,on the ball, quick on the uptake, genius;
    informalwhip-smart
    “Joey will know what to do—he’s the smart one”
    antonyms: stupid
    • (of a device) programmed so as to be capable of some independent action.
      “hi-tech smart weapons”
    • NORTH AMERICAN
      showing impertinence by making clever or sarcastic remarks.
      “don’t get smart or I’ll whack you one”
  3. 3.
    quick; brisk.
    “he set off at a smart pace”
    antonyms: slow, gentle
verb
verb: smart; 3rd person present: smarts; past tense: smarted; past participle:smarted; gerund or present participle: smarting
  1. 1.
    (of part of the body) feel a sharp stinging pain.
    “her legs were scratched and smarting”
    synonyms: sting, burn, tingle, prickle; More
    • feel upset and annoyed.
      “defence chiefs are still smarting from the government’s cuts”
      synonyms:13920761_10208628903333444_6196718056528026069_n feel annoyed, feel upset, feel offended, take offence, feel aggrieved, feel indignant, feel put out, feel hurt, feel wounded, feel resentful

      “she had smarted at Jenny’s accusations”
noun
noun: smart; plural noun: smarts
  1. 1.
    sharp stinging pain.
    “the smart of the recent cuts”
    • archaic
      mental pain or suffering.
      “sorrow is the effect of smart, and smart the effect of faith”
  2. 2.
    NORTH AMERICANinformal
    IMG_0035intelligence; acumen.
    “I don’t think I have the smarts for it”
Origin
Old English smeortan (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to German schmerzen ; the adjective is related to the verb, the original sense (late Old English) being ‘causing sharp pain’; from this arose ‘keen, brisk’, whence the current senses of ‘mentally sharp’ and ‘neat in a brisk, sharp style’.
Unknown's avatar

Published by Katherine

Poetry writer and author

Published

2 thoughts on “Smart is from old German”

  1. It’s fascinating to see how the usage of a word can change over time. It makes it very hard for automatic translators, like Google!

    1. Yes, it is.Google translate can give some humorous results.. if you translate back it comes out somewhat different from what it began with

Comments are closed.