Where does “grimace” come from?

grimace (Middle French) comes from Old French grimace, from Old French grime, from Frankish grīma, from Proto-Germanic grīmô, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrēy-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.

Ancestry of “grimace”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchgrimace—
2Old Frenchgrimemask
3Frankishgrīma—
4Proto-Germanicgrīmômask; visor; helmet
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrēy-to smear; to paint, streak, smear
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind

Words derived from “grimace”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrēy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grīmô →