Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “groove” come from?

Groove comes from Middle English grove, from Old English grāf, from Proto-Germanic grōbō, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrebʰ-, ultimately from the root gʰrābʰ- meaning to dig or scratch.

groove (English): A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such...

Definitions

  1. A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such...

Ancestry of “groove”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgrov—
2Middle Dutchgroeve—
3Old Dutchgruova—
4Proto-West Germanic*grōbu—
5Proto-Germanicgrōbōhole, ditch, pit
6Proto-Germanicgrabanąto dig; to engrave, scratch
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrābʰ-to dig, scratch, scrape

Words derived from “groove”

  • groovy
  • microgroove
  • groover
  • grooviness
  • grooveless
  • ingroove
  • groovily
  • groovelike
  • regroove
  • groovesome
  • groovester
  • nanogroove
  • engroove
  • supergroovy
  • groovemeister
  • groovework
  • regroover
  • gruvi
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- →