Tearful
/ˈtɪr.fəl/noun
Showing or full of tears; likely to cry.
Did you know?Tearful is just Old English tear + -ful, and the same ancient root behind “tear” also survives in German Träne, showing how old the language of crying really is.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
tēar
“tear, a drop of liquid from the eye”
Old English
OE
-ful
“full of; characterized by”
Middle English
ME
tereful
“full of tears; tearful”
Modern English
EN
tearful
“showing or filled with tears”