Etymology Explorer › Middle Dutch

Where does “grau” come from?

grau (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch grāo, from Proto-West Germanic *grāu, from Proto-Germanic grēwaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.

Ancestry of “grau”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchgrāo—
2Proto-West Germanic*grāu—
3Proto-Germanicgrēwazgrey
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow

Words derived from “grau”

  • grauw
  • grauwvuur
  • grauwheid
  • grauwen
  • grauwtje
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →