Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “grau” come from?

grau (German) comes 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, gray

Definitions

  1. grey, gray

Ancestry of “grau”, step by step

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

Words derived from “grau”

  • greywacke
  • grauwacke
  • Graubünden
  • feldgrau
  • metagreywacke
  • subgreywacke
  • Eigengrau
  • schiefergrau
  • aschgrau
  • Feldgrau
  • hellgrau
  • graublau
  • ergrauen
  • gräulich
  • Grauwacke
  • mattgrau
  • Graukatze
  • mausgrau
  • bleigrau
  • Graukehlralle
  • Graureiher
  • Graumennigvogel
  • Grau
  • dunkelgrau
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →