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
- dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding; rigid and...
Ancestry of “grim”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | grim | dirt or soot covering the face |
| 2 | Old English | grīma | mask, visor, helmet, spectre, apparition |
| 3 | Frankish | grīmō | mask |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grīmô | mask; visor; helmet |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |
Words derived from “grim”