Where does “green” come from?

green (Low German) comes from Middle Low German grōne, from Old Saxon grōni, from Proto-West Germanic grōnī, from Proto-Germanic grōniz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.

green (Low German): green

Definitions

  1. green

Ancestry of “green”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germangrōne—
2Old Saxongrōnigreen
3Proto-West Germanicgrōnīgreen
4Proto-Germanicgrōnizgreen
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grōniz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic grōnī →