Where does “gruelling” come from?

Gruelling comes from Middle English gruel, derived from Old French gruel, which developed from Old French gru, ultimately tracing to Frankish grūt and Proto-Germanic roots meaning coarse grain or sediment.

gruelling (English): So difficult or taxing as to make one exhausted;...

Definitions

  1. So difficult or taxing as to make one exhausted;...

Ancestry of “gruelling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgruelA thin, watery porridge, formerly eaten primarily...
2Middle Englishgruel—
3Old Frenchgruelcoarse meal; > French {{m|fr|gruau}}
4Medieval Latingrutellum—
5Medieval Latingrutumflour; meal; flour, meal, used as seasoning for...
6Proto-Germanicgrūtizground material; grit

Words derived from “gruelling”

Every word from Proto-Germanic grūtiz →Every word from Medieval Latin grutum →Every word from Medieval Latin grutellum →