Smart
/smɑːrt/noun
Having or showing quick intelligence, or being neat and stylish in appearance.
Did you know?In Old English, the root behind smart was tied to stinging pain and sudden hurt, and only later did it shift into the idea of a quick, keen mind.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*smer-
“to sting, pain, or hurt”
Old English
OE
smeart
“causing pain; severe; brisk”
Middle English
ME
smert
“painful; stinging; sharp”
15th–16th Century
English
smart
“painfully sharp; brisk; clever in a sharp way”
Modern English
English
smart
“quick-witted; intelligent; neat or stylish”