Where does “grey” come from?

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

grey (Middle English): grey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey

Definitions

  1. grey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey

Ancestry of “grey”, step by step

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

Words derived from “grey”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grēwaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *grāu →
grey — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer