Where does “Great Rift Valley” come from?

Great Rift Valley (English) comes from English Great, from Middle English grete, from Old English grēat, from Proto-West Germanic graut, from Proto-Germanic grautaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- — to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines.

Great Rift Valley (English): The continuous system of rift valleys in the East African Rift

Definitions

  1. The continuous system of rift valleys in the East African Rift

Ancestry of “Great Rift Valley”, step by step

Great Rift Valley traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Great

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishGreatTaking much space; large
2Middle Englishgretegreat; massive; amazing
3Old Englishgrēatgreat, large; big, thick, coarse, massive
4Proto-West Germanicgraut
5Proto-Germanicgrautazcoarse, crude; big, large
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰer-to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines

via English rift valley

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishrift valleyA graben structure between two tectonic plates which are opening relative to each other
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer-Every word from Proto-Germanic grautazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic graut