Where does “gravedigging” come from?
gravedigging (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.
gravedigging (English): The digging of graves
Ancestry of “gravedigging”, step by step
| 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 | — |
| 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 |