Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Grau” come from?

Grau (German) comes from Middle High German grā, from Old High German grāo, from Proto-Germanic grēwaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.

Grau (German): grey

Definitions

  1. grey

Ancestry of “Grau”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germangrā—
2Old High Germangrāo—
3Proto-Germanicgrēwazgrey
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow

Words derived from “Grau”

  • feldgrau
  • Graumennigvogel
  • Feldgrau
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →