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
- Britain and Commonwealth of Nations standard...
Ancestry of “grey”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | grey | grey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey |
| 2 | Old English | grǣġ | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *grāu | grey |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grēwaz | grey |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |
Words derived from “grey”