Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “greyly” come from?

greyly (English) comes from English Grey, from Middle English grey, from Old English grǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic *grāu, from Proto-Germanic grēwaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.

greyly (English): In a grey way; in partial light; With a dreary or...

Definitions

  1. In a grey way; in partial light; With a dreary or...

Ancestry of “greyly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishGreyA member of the Royal Scots Greys, a cavalry...
2Middle Englishgreygrey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey
3Old Englishgrǣġ—
4Proto-West Germanic*grāu—
5Proto-Germanicgrēwazgrey
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →