Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gruffy” come from?

gruffy (English) comes from English gruff, from Dutch grof, from Middle Dutch grof, from Old Dutch grof, from Proto-West Germanic *grob, from Proto-Germanic grubaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrewbʰ-.

Ancestry of “gruffy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishgruffhaving a rough, surly, and harsh demeanor and...
2Dutchgrofrough, coarse; rude; extreme, gross, grave
3Middle Dutchgrofthick; large, great; course, rough
4Old Dutchgrof—
5Proto-West Germanic*grob—
6Proto-Germanicgrubazcoarse, rough
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrewbʰ-—

Words derived from “gruffy”

  • gruffiness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrewbʰ- →