Where does “grave wax” come from?
grave wax (English) comes from English grave, from French gravier, from Old French gravé, from Medieval Latin grava, from Gaulish grawa, from Proto-Celtic grāwā, from Proto-Indo-European gʰroh₁weh₂, from Proto-Indo-European gʰreh₁w- — to grind.
grave wax (English): A waxy substance found on corpses: adipocere
Definitions
- A waxy substance found on corpses: adipocere
Ancestry of “grave wax”, step by step
grave wax traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English grave
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grave | An excavation in the earth as a place of burial;... |
| 2 | French | gravier | gravel; crushed rocks between 5 and 40 mm in... |
| 3 | Old French | gravé | gravel |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | grava | — |
| 5 | Gaulish | grawa | — |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | grāwā | gravel, pebbles |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰroh₁weh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰreh₁w- | to grind |