Where does “gras bilong ai” come from?

gras bilong ai (Tok Pisin) comes from Tok Pisin bilong, from English belong, from Middle English belongen, from Middle English be-, from Old English be-, from Old English hrōpan, from Proto-West Germanic hrōpan, from Proto-Germanic hrōpaną — army.

gras bilong ai (Tok Pisin): eyebrow

Definitions

  1. eyebrow

Ancestry of “gras bilong ai”, step by step

gras bilong ai traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Tok Pisin bilong

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tok Pisinbilongof, belonging to; having a tendency to, known...
2EnglishbelongTo have its proper place; To be part of, or the...
3Middle Englishbelongen
4Middle Englishbe-
5Old Englishbe-a productive prefix usually used to form verbs...
6Old Englishhrōpanto shout, proclaim; cry out, scream, howl; to cry...
7Proto-West Germanichrōpanto cry out, to call, to shout
8Proto-Germanichrōpanąto cry out, call, shout
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
11Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

via Tok Pisin ai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tok Pisinaieye; hole, opening, lid; tip
2EnglishEyeA place name
3Middle Englisheyeawe, reverence, worshipfulness; horror, panic;...
4Old Englisheġefear
5Old Englishēageeye
6Proto-West Germanicaugāeye
7Proto-Germanicaugôeye
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ekʷ-to see; eye

via Tok Pisin gras

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tok Pisingrasgrass; vegetation; fur, hair
2EnglishgrassAny plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by...
3Middle EnglishgrasA grass; Any plant; especially a herbaceous one;...
4Old Englishgræsgrass
5Proto-West Germanicgrasgrass
6Proto-Germanicgrasągrass
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker-