Where does “grabass” come from?

grabass (English) comes from English grab, from English -le, from Middle English -el, from Old French -el, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

grabass (English): Sexual groping; erotic horseplay; Rowdy behavior;...

Definitions

  1. Sexual groping; erotic horseplay; Rowdy behavior;...

Ancestry of “grabass”, step by step

grabass traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English grab

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgrabTo grip suddenly; to seize; to clutch; To make a...
2English-leA frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating...
3Middle English-el
4Old French-elSuffix that usually denotes a masculine noun
5Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
6Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
7Proto-Italic-olos
8Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

via English ass

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishassAny of several species of horse-like animals,...
2Middle EnglishasseAlternative form of axen
3Old Englishassaass, donkey
4Old Englishassenshe-ass
5Latinasinusa donkey, an ass; an ass, an idiot, a dolt, a...
6Latinacinusa berry, especially the grape; the seed of a...
7Latinaciessharp edge or point; battle line; battle,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eḱ-sharp
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós