Where does “grunt work” come from?
grunt work (English) comes from English grunt, from Middle English grunten, from Old English grunnettan, from Proto-West Germanic *grunnattjan, from Proto-Germanic grunnatjaną, from Proto-Germanic grunnōną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrun- — to shout.
grunt work (English): Work that is considered undesirable and...
Definitions
- Work that is considered undesirable and...
Ancestry of “grunt work”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | grunt | A short snorting sound, often to show... |
| 2 | Middle English | grunten | To grunt or groan as or like an animal; to make... |
| 3 | Old English | grunnettan | to grunt |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *grunnattjan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grunnatjaną | To grunt |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | grunnōną | to grunt |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrun- | to shout |