earnest

earnest · noun, verb, adjective¹

1. Old English · inherited fromeornoste“earnest, zealous, serious”
2. Middle English · inherited fromeornest
3. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*er-“to cause to move, arouse, increase”
4. Proto-Germanic · derived from*arniz“efficient, capable, diligent, sure”
5. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*ernustuz“earnest, strength, solidity, struggle, fight”
6. Old English · inherited fromeornest
7. Middle English · inherited fromernest
8. English todayearnest

From Middle English ernest, eornest, from Old English eornest, eornost, eornust (“earnestness, zeal, seriousness, battle”), from Proto-Germanic *ernustuz (“earnest, strength, solidity, struggle, fight”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *arniz (“efficient, capable, diligent, sure”), from Proto-Indo-European *er- (“to cause to move, arouse, increase”). Cognate with West Frisian earnst (“earnest, seriousness”), Dutch ernst (“seriousness, gravity, earnest”), German Ernst (“seriousness, earnestness, zeal, vigour”), Icelandic ern (“brisk, vigorous”), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰 (arniba, “secure, certain, sure”). The adjective is from Middle English eornest, from Old English eornoste (“earnest, zealous, serious”), from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian ernste (“earnest”), Middle Low German ernest, ernst (“serious, earnest”), German ernst (“serious, earnest”).

earnest · noun²

Uncertain; apparently related to erres. Compare also arles.

earnest · verb³

From earn + -est.

Words from the same roots