Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “graceful” come from?

graceful (Middle English) comes from Middle English grace, from Old French grace, from Latin grātia, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ius, from Proto-Italic -jōs, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.

graceful (Middle English): Giving grace; grace-inducing; nice, kindly

Definitions

  1. Giving grace; grace-inducing; nice, kindly

Ancestry of “graceful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishgraceVarious theological meanings, usually as an...
2Old Frenchgracegrace; favor; grace; gracefulness; elegance
3Latingrātia—
4Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
5Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
6Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
7Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “graceful”

  • graceful
  • gracefully
  • gracefulness
  • ungraceful
  • ungracefully
  • ungracefulness
  • gracefullest
  • gracefuller
  • nongraceful
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →