Schmerz
/ʃmɛʁts/noun
Pain or suffering.
Did you know?Schmerz comes from the same ancient root as English *smart*, which once meant not “intelligent” but “to sting, hurt, or cause pain.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mer-
“to rub, press, grind; later extended to hurting or causing pain”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*smertaną
“to cause pain, sting, or hurt”
Old High German
OHG
smërzan
“to hurt, cause pain”
Middle High German
MHG
smerzen
“to ache, pain, grieve”
Modern German
German
Schmerz
“pain, ache, suffering”