Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gravy” come from?

Gravy comes from Middle English greavie, from Old French gravé, with the original sense uncertain.

gravy (English): A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that...

Definitions

  1. A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that...

Ancestry of “gravy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgraveygravy; a sauce for poultry and fish
2Old Frenchgravé—
3Medieval Latingrava—
4Gaulishgrawa—
5Proto-Celticgrāwāgravel, pebbles
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰroh₁weh₂—
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰreh₁w-to grind

Words derived from “gravy”

  • gravied
  • gravylike
  • gravyless
  • gravy-eyed
  • グレービー
  • 그레이비
  • เกรวี
  • grefi
  • grévîn
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰreh₁w- →