Break someone's heart
Meaning
To cause someone profound sadness or emotional distress, often due to a disappointment in love or a close relationship.
Origin
The concept of the heart as the seat of human emotion, particularly love and sorrow, is as ancient as language itself. Early civilizations, including the Egyptians and Greeks, often viewed the heart, not the brain, as the core of feeling and even intellect. This powerful symbolism led to the development of phrases describing emotional pain centered on the heart. The specific image of a 'broken heart' to signify extreme grief or betrayal is found in ancient texts, including the Bible. By the 16th century, English literature, notably Shakespeare, fully embraced and popularized the metaphor, cementing 'break someone's heart' as the definitive expression for causing profound emotional devastation, especially in matters of love.
Examples
- When she told him she was leaving, she knew it would break his heart.
- He promised he would never break her heart again after their last argument.