Where does “grinsen” come from?
grinsen (German) comes from Middle English grinnen, from Old English grennian, from Proto-West Germanic *grannjōn, from Proto-Germanic *granjōną — to howl.
grinsen (German): to grin
Definitions
- to grin
Ancestry of “grinsen”, step by step
grinsen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English grinnen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | grinnen | — |
| 2 | Old English | grennian | to bare the teeth due to anger, pain, etc.; to grin |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *grannjōn | to howl |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *granjōną | to howl |
via Old Dutch *grinan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | *grinan | to grin |