Where does “Grim” come from?

Grim comes from Old English Grīm, from Old Norse Grímr, from Proto-Germanic Grīmaz, of unknown origin.

Grim (English): and gloomy, cold and forbidding

Definitions

  1. and gloomy, cold and forbidding

Ancestry of “Grim”, step by step

Grim traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English Grīm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishGrīm—
2Old NorseGrímrespecially one of Óðinn's names
3Icelandicgrímamask; to mask
4Frankishgrīmōmask
5Proto-Germanicgrīmômask; visor; helmet
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrēy-to smear; to paint, streak, smear
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind

via Middle English grim

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgrimdirt or soot covering the face
2Old Englishgrīmamask, visor, helmet, spectre, apparition
3Proto-West Germanicgrīmōmask

Words derived from “Grim”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrēy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grīmô →
Grim — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer