to make someone feel sad or unhappy; to cause sorrow or disappointment.
From 'sad' (from Old English 'sæd' meaning satiated or heavy, later meaning sorrowful) + '-en' (causative suffix) + '-ed'. The word evolved from describing a heavy feeling to an emotional state.
The original meaning of 'sad' was 'full' or 'heavy'—so 'saddened' literally means made heavy, and that's exactly how sadness feels: like you're carrying extra weight in your chest and moving through the world feels harder.
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