Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “grey” come from?

Grey comes from Old English grǣġ, from Proto-Germanic grēwaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰer-.

grey (English): Britain and Commonwealth of Nations standard...

Definitions

  1. Britain and Commonwealth of Nations standard...

Ancestry of “grey”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgreygrey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey
2Old Englishgrǣġ—
3Proto-West Germanic*grāu—
4Proto-Germanicgrēwazgrey
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow

Words derived from “grey”

  • gray
  • grayish
  • greyish
  • grayling
  • grayscale
  • grayness
  • greyness
  • graybeard
  • greyscale
  • greywater
  • grayware
  • grimalkin
  • greyly
  • greylag
  • grayly
  • grayhound
  • greystone
  • graystone
  • grayboard
  • greyhead
  • greyback
  • graybody
  • nongray
  • greyware
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →