Where does “green” come from?

Green comes from Middle English grene, from Old English grēne, from Proto-West Germanic grōnī, from Proto-Germanic grōniz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰreH₁-.

green (English): Having green as its color; Sickly, unwell;...

Definitions

  1. Having green as its color; Sickly, unwell;...

Ancestry of “green”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgrenegreen
2Old Englishgrēnegreen
3Proto-West Germanicgrōnīgreen
4Proto-Germanicgrōnizgreen
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow

Words derived from “green”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →