Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “groof” come from?

groof (Middle English) comes from Old English grōf, from Proto-Germanic grōbō, from Proto-Germanic grabaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- — to dig, scratch, scrape.

Ancestry of “groof”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishgrōftrench, furrow, something dug
2Proto-Germanicgrōbōhole, ditch, pit
3Proto-Germanicgrabanąto dig; to engrave, scratch
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrābʰ-to dig, scratch, scrape

Words derived from “groof”

  • groove
  • groovy
  • microgroove
  • groover
  • grooviness
  • grooveless
  • ingroove
  • groovily
  • groovelike
  • regroove
  • groovester
  • engroove
  • supergroovy
  • groovemeister
  • groovesome
  • nanogroove
  • regroover
  • groovework
  • gruvi
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- →