Where does “grub” come from?

Grub comes from Old English grubbian, from Proto-Germanic grubb-, ultimately from Proto-Germanic grub-, of uncertain origin and meaning.

grub (English): An immature stage in the life cycle of an insect;...

Definitions

  1. An immature stage in the life cycle of an insect;...

Ancestry of “grub”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishgrubbian—
2Proto-Germanicgrubb-—
3Proto-Germanicgrub-to dig

Words derived from “grub”

Every word from Proto-Germanic grub- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grubb- →Every word from Old English grubbian →