Where does “grievous” come from?
Grievous comes from Middle English grevous, from Old French grevous, from Latin gravis meaning heavy or serious, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷréh₂us.
grievous (English): Causing grief, pain or sorrow; Serious, grave,...
Definitions
- Causing grief, pain or sorrow; Serious, grave,...
Ancestry of “grievous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | grieve | To cause sorrow or distress to; To feel very sad... |
| 2 | Middle English | greyve | steward |
| 3 | Old Norse | greifi | a count, earl, steward |
| 4 | Middle Low German | grēve | — |
| 5 | Old High German | grāvio | count, local judge |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | garāfijō | count; earl; reeve, bailiff |
Words derived from “grievous”