Where does “grime” come from?

Grim comes from Middle English grim, Old English grīma, Proto-Germanic grimmaz, and Proto-Indo-European gʰrem-, ultimately from the root gʰer- meaning to grate or scrape.

grime (English): Dirt, grease, soot, etc. that is ingrained and...

Definitions

  1. Dirt, grease, soot, etc. that is ingrained and...

Ancestry of “grime”, step by step

grime traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse Grímr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseGrímrespecially one of Óðinn's names
2Icelandicgrímamask; to mask
3Frankishgrīmōmask
4Proto-Germanicgrīmômask; visor; helmet
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrēy-to smear; to paint, streak, smear
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind

via Middle English grim

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgrimdirt or soot covering the face
2Old Englishgrīmamask, visor, helmet, spectre, apparition
3Proto-West Germanicgrīmōmask

Words derived from “grime”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- →