Where does “greet” come from?
Greet comes from Middle English greten, from Proto-Germanic grōtijaną, from Proto-Germanic grautaz, from Proto-Indo-European ghrewə-, ultimately related to Proto-Indo-European -éyeti and -yeti.
greet (English): To welcome in a friendly manner, either in person...
Definitions
- To welcome in a friendly manner, either in person...
Ancestry of “greet”, step by step
greet traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English grētan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | grētan | to greet, address |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | grōtijan | to address, to greet |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | grōtijaną | to cause to weep; make cry; to scold; to address |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grētaną | to weep, to cry |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēw- | to grind, rub |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |
via Middle English greet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | greet | great |
| 2 | Old English | grēat | great, large; big, thick, coarse, massive |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | graut | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grautaz | coarse, crude; big, large |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ghrewə- | to fell, put down, fall in |
via Old Norse gráta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | gráta | to cry |