Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “hreow” come from?

hreow (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic hreuwu, from Proto-Germanic hrewwō, from Proto-Indo-European krew- — to fall, collapse; scab; to fall, break, bruise.

hreow (Old English): grief; grief”, “repentance; sorrow, regret,...

Definitions

  1. grief; grief”, “repentance; sorrow, regret,...

Ancestry of “hreow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanichreuwuregret
2Proto-Germanichrewwōpain, sadness, regret, repentance
3Proto-Indo-Europeankrew-to fall, collapse; scab; to fall, break, bruise

Words derived from “hreow”

  • row
  • raw
  • ruthless
  • rue
  • rowed
  • ruthlessly
  • rowdy
  • ruthlessness
  • rowboat
  • rawhide
  • ruth
  • rawness
  • rawboned
  • rowdyism
  • rowdiness
  • windrow
  • rowhouse
  • rawly
  • arow
  • fencerow
  • rowdyish
  • multirow
  • cornrow
  • ruthful
Every word from Proto-Indo-European krew- →