Where does “gruff” come from?
Gruff comes from Middle Dutch grof, from Old Dutch grof, from Proto-Germanic grubaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrubʰos, ultimately from the root gʰrewbʰ-.
gruff (English): having a rough, surly, and harsh demeanor and...
Definitions
- having a rough, surly, and harsh demeanor and...
Ancestry of “gruff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | grof | rough, coarse; rude; extreme, gross, grave |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | grof | thick; large, great; course, rough |
| 3 | Old Dutch | grof | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *grob | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grubaz | coarse, rough |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrewbʰ- | — |
Words derived from “gruff”