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Heartache

noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Emotional distress or pain, often caused by a loved one or their absence. countable, uncountable

    "[…]: to dye, to ſleepe, / No more; and by a ſleepe, to ſay we end / The Heart-ake, and the thouſand Naturall ſhockes / That Fleſh is heyre too?"

  2. 2
    intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death) wordnet

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 has a physiological basis.

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