Where does “grave” come from?
Grave comes from Middle French grave, from Latin gravis meaning "heavy," ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European roots including gʷréh₂us and gʰrebʰ-.
grave (English): An excavation in the earth as a place of burial;...
Definitions
- An excavation in the earth as a place of burial;...
Ancestry of “grave”, step by step
grave traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French gravier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | gravier | gravel; crushed rocks between 5 and 40 mm in... |
| 2 | Old French | gravé | gravel |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | grava | — |
| 4 | Gaulish | grawa | — |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | grāwā | gravel, pebbles |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰroh₁weh₂ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰreh₁w- | to grind |