Zompist Bboard Again

Or is this just a myth?

I have read in some places that "sweetheart" was originally "sweetard".

The etymologies I have seen in dictionaries suggest it is a myth. They all list the etymology of "sweetheart" as "sweet" + "heart" not a reanalysis of an older "sweetard".

Isn't sweetard a portmanteau word of sweetheart and retard? If not, where'd sweetard come from?

I have seen on Google Books there is some use of "sweetard" in old books from the 1800s. Maybe "sweetard" existed at one time and then merged with the already existing "sweetheart".

But what would be the origin of 1800s sweetard?

maybe the same -ard as in wizard and drunkard? although that's generally derogatory

As Nortaneous said, there would be nothing etymologically surprising about "sweetard." It's hypothetically a normal reflex of sweet+ard. See these examples. But while the etymology is perfectly plausible, the earliest attested form is sweetheart, going back to the 14th century, so sweetard is probably a folk etymology.

It is possible that "sweetard" emerged later and then merged with the already existing "sweetheart".

Could it just be a dialectal pronunciation spelling of sweetheart?

Jonlang wrote: ↑Tue Jun 04, 2024 2:14 pm Could it just be a dialectal pronunciation spelling of sweetheart?

Perhaps it could, but, for once, Nort's explanation makes the most sense to me.

If I saw "sweetard" in the wild, I'd simply assume it was an eggcorn.

I have never, ever seen or heard "sweetard" in the wild. If I saw or heard it I would presume it being a word that someone thought "should" somehow exist rather than an actual word.

I saw on Google Books a book from the 1800s where "sweetard" is used with no mention of "sweetheart". It was using middle English grammar like "dost" in stuff, so it is possible someone was attempting to use Middle English, but were overdoing it with "sweetard".

Most hits in Google Books are claims that the word "sweetheart" comes from "sweetard". Not much evidence that "sweetard" ever actually existed.

“Sweetard” to me sounds like JFK saying “sweetheart”.