Where does “greybeard” come from?
greybeard (English) comes from English Beard, from Middle English berd, from Old English beard, from Proto-West Germanic bard, from Proto-Germanic bardaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰardʰéh₂ — beard.
greybeard (English): An old man; Any of the members of a group who...
Definitions
- An old man; Any of the members of a group who...
Ancestry of “greybeard”, step by step
greybeard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Beard
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Beard | A place name |
| 2 | Middle English | berd | beard |
| 3 | Old English | beard | beard |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bard | beard |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bardaz | beard |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰardʰéh₂ | beard |
via English Grey
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Grey | A member of the Royal Scots Greys, a cavalry... |
| 2 | Middle English | grey | grey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey |
| 3 | Old English | grǣġ | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *grāu | grey |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grēwaz | grey |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |