Origin of smart
before 1050; (v.) Middle English
smerten, Old English
-smeortan (only in the compound
fyrsmeortende painful like fire), cognate with Old High German
smerzan (German
schmerzen); (adj.) Middle English
smerte, smart quick, prompt, sharp, orig., biting, smarting, late Old English
smearte, akin to the v.; (adv. and noun) Middle English
smerte, derivative of the adj.
OTHER WORDS FROM smart
Words nearby smart
smaragd,
smaragdine,
smaragdite,
smarm,
smarmy,
smart,
smart aleck,
smart as a whip,
smart ass,
smart bomb,
smart card
Example sentences from the Web for smartness
British Dictionary definitions for smartness (1 of 2)
Derived forms of smart
smartish, adjective smartly, adverb smartness, nounWord Origin for smart
Old English
smeortan; related to Old High German
smerzan, Latin
mordēre to bite, Greek
smerdnos terrible
British Dictionary definitions for smartness (2 of 2)
Smart
/ (smɑːt) /
noun
Christopher. 1722–71, British poet, author of A Song to David (1763) and Jubilate Agno (written 1758–63, published 1939). He was confined (1756–63) for religious mania and died in a debtors' prison