heartache
/ˈhɑːteɪk/ noun
Forms heartaches heart-ach heart-ache
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English heorteece, heorte-ece, from Old English heorteċe, equivalent to heart + ache. Blends both literal and figurative aspects, as emotional distress sometimes includes a physical element of chest discomfort. Compare heartbreak § Etymology, where the literal aspect is lesser, though it still can be said to have a physiological basis.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Cf. AS. heortece.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “heartache”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details