Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “grayve” come from?

grayve (Middle English) comes from Old Norse greifi, from Middle Low German grēve, from Old High German grāvio, from Proto-West Germanic garāfijō — count; earl; reeve, bailiff.

Ancestry of “grayve”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsegreifia count, earl, steward
2Middle Low Germangrēve—
3Old High Germangrāviocount, local judge
4Proto-West Germanicgarāfijōcount; earl; reeve, bailiff

Words derived from “grayve”

  • greeve
  • greeveship
Every word from Proto-West Germanic garāfijō →