Where does “greeting” come from?
Greeting comes from Middle English greten, from Proto-Germanic grōtijaną and grautaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ghrewə- with the suffix -éyeti or -yeti.
greeting (English): A conventional phrase used to start a letter or...
Definitions
- A conventional phrase used to start a letter or...
Ancestry of “greeting”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | greet | To welcome in a friendly manner, either in person... |
| 2 | Old English | grētan | to greet, address |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | grōtijan | to address, to greet |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grōtijaną | to cause to weep; make cry; to scold; to address |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grētaną | to weep, to cry |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēw- | to grind, rub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |