Where does “grim” come from?

Grim comes from Middle English grim, from Old English grīma, from Proto-Germanic grimmaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰrem-, itself derived from the root gʰer-.

grim (English): dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding; rigid and...

Definitions

  1. dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding; rigid and...

Ancestry of “grim”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgrimdirt or soot covering the face
2Old Englishgrīmamask, visor, helmet, spectre, apparition
3Frankishgrīmōmask
4Proto-Germanicgrīmômask; visor; helmet
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrēy-to smear; to paint, streak, smear
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind

Words derived from “grim”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- →
grim — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer