Etymology dictionary

grimoire (n.) — growl (v.)

grimoire (n.)

magician's manual for invoking demons, 1849, from French grimoire, altered from grammaire "incantation; grammar" (see grammar). Also compare gramary, glamour.

Old English grennian "show the teeth" (in pain or anger), common Germanic (cognates: Old Norse grenja "to howl," grina "to grin;" Dutch grienen "to whine;" German greinen "to cry"), from PIE root *ghrei- "be open." Sense of "bare the teeth in a broad smile" is late 15c., perhaps via the notion of "forced or unnatural smile." Related: Grinned; grinning.

Grinch (n.)

"spoilsport;" all usages trace to Dr. Seuss's 1957 book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Kipling used grinching (1892) in reference to a harsh, grating noise; and Grinch had been used as the surname of severe characters in fiction at least since 1903.

grind (n.)

late Old English, "the gnashing of teeth;" c. 1200, "the act of chewing or grinding," from grind (v.). The sense "steady, hard, tedious work" first recorded 1851 in college student slang (but compare gerund-grinder, 1710); the meaning "hard-working student, one who studies with dogged application" is American English slang from 1864. Slang meaning "sexual intercourse" is by 1893.

grind (v.)

Old English grindan "to rub together, crush into powder, grate, scrape," forgrindan "destroy by crushing" (class III strong verb; past tense grand, past participle grunden), from Proto-Germanic *grindanan (source also of Dutch grenden), related to ground (v.), from PIE *ghrendh- "to grind" (source also of Latin frendere "to gnash the teeth," Greek khondros "corn, grain," Lithuanian grendu, gręsti "to scrape, scratch"). Meaning "to make smooth or sharp by friction" is from c. 1300. Most other Germanic languages use a verb cognate with Latin molere (compare Dutch malen, Old Norse mala, German mahlen).

grinding (adj.)

Old English, present-participle adjective from grind (v.). Meaning "oppressive, burdensome" is from 1580s. The verbal noun is from mid-14c.

grinder (n.)

Old English grindere "one who grinds (grain);" agent noun from grind (v.). Meaning "molar tooth" is late 14c. (Old English had grindetoð). Meaning "machine for milling" is from 1660s; of persons, from late 15c. "Large sandwich" sense is from 1954, American English, though the exact signification is uncertain (perhaps from the amount of chewing required to eat one).

grindstone (n.)

early 13c. "millstone," from grind (v.) in sense of "sharpen" + stone (n.); meaning

"revolving stone disc used for sharpening, etc." is from c. 1400. Phrase nose to the grindstone in use by 1530s; originally to get control of another and treat him harshly:

The phrase's main modern (reflexive) sense of "working hard" is from 1828.

gringo (n.)

term for a European or Anglo-American, 1847, from American Spanish gringo "foreigner," from Spanish gringo "foreign speech, unintelligible talk, gibberish," perhaps ultimately from griego "Greek." The "Diccionario Castellano" (1787) says gringo was used in Malaga for "anyone who spoke Spanish badly," and in Madrid for "the Irish." Hence the American Spanish verb engringarse "to act like a foreigner."

griot (n.)

northwest African poet/performer, 1820, from French griot (17c.), which is of unknown origin. Watkins suggests it is from the same source as Creole.

grip (v.)

Old English grippan "to grip, seize, obtain" (class I strong verb; past tense grap, past participle gripen), from West Germanic *greipanan (source also of Old High German gripfen "to rob," Old English gripan "to seize;" see gripe (v.)). Related: Gripped; gripping. French gripper "to seize," griffe "claw" are Germanic loan-words.

grip (n.)

c. 1200, "act of grasping or seizing; power or ability to grip," fusion of Old English gripe "grasp, clutch" and gripa "handful, sheaf" (see grip (v.)). Figurative use from mid-15c. Meaning "a handshake" (especially one of a secret society) is from 1785. Meaning "that by which anything is grasped" is from 1867. Meaning "stage hand" is from 1888, from their work shifting scenery.

gripping (adj.)

"grasping the emotions," 1896, figurative use of present-participle adjective from grip (v.).

gripe (v.)

c. 1200, "to clutch, seize firmly," from Old English gripan "grasp at, lay hold, attack, take, seek to get hold of," from Proto-Germanic *gripan (source also of Old Saxon gripan, Old Norse gripa, Dutch grijpen, Gothic greipan, Old High German grifan, German greifen "to seize"), of uncertain origin, perhaps from PIE root *ghreib- "to grip" (source also of Lithuanian griebiu, griebti "to seize"). Figurative sense of "complain, grouse" is first attested 1932, probably from earlier meaning "produce a gripping pain in the bowels" (c. 1600; compare belly-ache). Related: Griped; griping.

gripe (n.)

late 14c., "a fast hold, clutch, grasp," from gripe (v.). From c. 1600 as "cramp, pain in the bowels" (earlier of pangs of grief, etc., 1540s). Figurative sense of "a complaint" is by 1934.

grippe (n.)

"epidemic influenza," 1776, probably from French grippe "influenza," originally "seizure," verbal noun from gripper "to grasp, hook," from Frankish or another Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *gripanan (see grip (v.), gripe (v.)). Supposedly in reference to constriction of the throat felt by sufferers; the word spread through European languages after the influenza epidemic during the Russian occupation of Prussia in the Seven Years' War (c. 1760), and Russian chirpu, said to be imitative of the sound of the cough, is sometimes said to be the origin or inspiration for the word.

grisaille (n.)

painting technique using gray tints, 1848, from French grisaille (17c.), from gris "gray" (12c.), which is from Frankish *gris or some other Germanic source (cognates: Dutch grijs, Old High German gris; see gray (adj.)).

Griselda

fem. proper name, from Italian, from German Grishilda, from Old High German grisja hilda, literally "gray battle-maid" (see gray (adj.) + Hilda). The English form, Grisilde, provided Chaucer's Grizel, the name of the meek, patient wife in the Clerk's Tale, the story and the name both from Boccaccio.

grisette (n.)

c. 1700, "gray woolen fabric," from French grisette, diminutive of gris "grey," which is from Frankish or some other Germanic source (see grey (adj.)). From 1723 as "young French working girl," especially a shopgirl or seamstress, on the notion of wearing clothing made from such fabric; "commonly applied by foreigners in Paris to the young women of this class who are free in their manners on the streets and in the shops" [Century Dictionary].

grisly (adj.)

Old English grislic (in compounds) "horrible, dreadful," from root of grisan "to shudder, fear," a general Germanic word (cognates: Old Frisian grislik "horrible," Middle Dutch grisen "to shudder," Dutch griezelen, German grausen "to shudder, fear," Old High German grisenlik "horrible;" of unknown origin; Watkins connects it with the PIE root *ghrei- "to rub," on notion of "to grate on the mind." See also gruesome, to which it probably is connected in some way. Related: Grisliness.

grist (n.)

Old English grist "action of grinding; grain to be ground," perhaps related to grindan "to grind" (see grind (v.)), though OED calls this connection "difficult." Meaning "wheat which is to be ground" is early 15c., as is the figurative extension from this sense.

gristle (n.)

the popular name of cartilage, Old English gristle "cartilage," related to grost "gristle," from Proto-West Germanic *gristl- (source also of Old Frisian and Middle Low German gristel, Old High German crostila, Middle High German gruschel), which is of obscure origin, perhaps from a non-IE substrate language.

grist-mill (n.)

also gristmill, c. 1600, from grist (n.) in the sense "amount ground at one time," hence "grain carried to the mill by the owner for grinding at one time," + mill (n.).

grit (v.)

"make a grating sound," 1762, probably from grit (n.). Meaning "to grate, grind" is from 1797. Related: Gritted; gritting.

grit (n.)

Old English greot "sand, dust, earth, gravel," from Proto-Germanic *greutan "tiny particles of crushed rock" (source also of Old Saxon griot, Old Frisian gret, Old Norse grjot "rock, stone," German Grieß "grit, sand"), from PIE *ghreu- "rub, grind" (source also of Lithuanian grūdas "corn, kernel," Old Church Slavonic gruda "clod"). Sense of "pluck, spirit, firmness of mind" first recorded American English, 1808.

grits (n.)

plural of grit "coarsely ground grain," Old English grytt (plural grytta) "coarse meal, groats, grits," from Proto-Germanic *grutja-, from the same root as grit (n.), the two words having influenced one another in sound development.

In American English, corn-based grits and hominy (q.v.) were used interchangeably in Colonial times. Later, hominy meant whole kernels that had been skinned but not ground, but in the U.S. South, hominy meant skinned kernels that could be ground coarsely to make grits. In New Orleans, whole kernels are big hominy and ground kernels little hominy.

gritty (adj.)

1590s, "resembling or containing sand or grit," from grit (n.) + -y (2). In sense of "unpleasant" (of literature, etc.), from 1882, in reference to the sensation of eating gritty bread. Meaning "plucky, spirited, courageous and resolute" is from 1847. Related: Grittily; grittiness.

grizzle (adj.)

"gray-colored," mid-14c., from Old French grisel "gray" (see grizzled) which also meant "gray-haired old man; gray horse" (senses recorded in Middle English from mid-14c.). The verb, "to make gray," is attested from 1740.

grizzled (adj.)

"gray in color," late 14c., griseld, a past-participle adjective formation from the noun grizzle "gray-haired old man" (early 14c. as a surname, Grissel); see grizzle (adj.). Or else from Old French grisel "gray," diminutive of gris "gray," from a Frankish or other Germanic source (such as Old High German gris "gray;" see gray (adj.). The -zz- spelling is early 15c. As a verb, grizzle "to grow gray; to make gray" is not attested before 18c.

grizzly (adj.)

"somewhat gray," 1590s, from grizzle "gray-colored" + -y (1). Also see grizzled. Grizzly bear (ursus horribilis) for the large ferocious bear of the western U.S., is recorded by 1806; sometimes said to belong rather to grisly (q.v.), but either adjective suits it.

groaning (n.)

Old English granung "groaning, lamentation," verbal noun from groan (v.). From 16c. to 19c., and in dialect, also "a woman's lying-in."

groan (n.)

late 14c., from groan (v.); earlier grane (early 14c.).

groan (v.)

Old English granian "to utter a deep, low-toned breath expressive of grief or pain; to murmur; to lament," from Proto-Germanic *grain- (source also of Old Norse grenja "to howl"), of imitative origin, or related to grin (v.). Meaning "complain" is from early 13c., especially in Middle English phrase grutchen and gronen. As an expression of disapproval, by 1799. Related: Groaned; groaning.

groaner (n.)

"one who complains," early 15c., agent noun from groan (v.).

groats (n.)

"hulled grain coarsely ground or crushed; oatmeal," early 14c., from grot "piece, fragment," from Old English grot "particle," from same root as grit (n.). The word also meant "excrement in pellets" (mid-15c.).

groat (n.)

medieval European coin, late 14c., probably from Middle Dutch groot, elliptical use of the adjective meaning "great, big" (in this case, "thick"), from the name of some large coin (for example the Bremen grote sware, and compare Medieval Latin grossi denarii in reference to a Prague coin) to distinguish it from smaller coins of the same name. Cognate with English great (adj.). Recognized from 13c. in various nations. The original English groat coined of 1351-2 was worth four pence; it was discontinued in 1622. Also see groschen.

grocer (n.)

early 15c. (mid-13c. as a surname), "wholesale dealer, one who buys and sells in gross," corrupted spelling of Anglo-French grosser, Old French grossier, from Medieval Latin grossarius "wholesaler," literally "dealer in quantity" (source also of Spanish grosero, Italian grossista), from Late Latin grossus "coarse (of food), great, gross" (see gross (adj.)). Sense of "a merchant selling individual items of food" is 16c.; in Middle English this was a spicer.

grocery (n.)

mid-15c., "goods sold by a grocer;" earlier the name of the Grocer's Hall in London (early 15c.), from Old French grosserie, from grossier "wholesale merchant" (see grocer). Meaning "a grocer's shop" is by 1803, especially in American English, where its use in that sense restricted the "goods sold by a grocer" meaning to the plural, groceries, by mid-19c.

Self-service groceries were a novelty in 1913 when a Montana, U.S., firm trademarked the word groceteria (with the ending from cafeteria used in an un-etymological sense) to name them. The term existed through the 1920s.

groceries (n.)

plural of grocery (q.v.).

grody (adj.)

variant of grotty.

grog (n.)

1749, "alcoholic drink diluted with water," supposedly a reference to Old Grog, nickname of Edward Vernon (1684-1757), British admiral who wore a grogram (q.v.) cloak and who in August 1740 ordered his sailors' rum to be diluted. Eventually the word came popularly to mean "strong drink" of any kind. Grog shop "tavern where alcohol is sold by the glass" is from 1790.

George Washington's older half-brother Lawrence served under Vernon in the Caribbean and renamed the family's Hunting Creek Plantation in Virginia for him in 1740, calling it Mount Vernon.

groggy (adj.)

1770, "drunk, overcome with grog so as to stagger or stumble," from grog + -y (2). Non-alcoholic meaning "shaky, tottering" is from 1832, originally from the fight ring. Also used of hobbled horses (1828). Related: Groggily; grogginess.

grogram (n.)

coarse, stiff textile fabric, 1560s, from French gros grain "coarse grain or texture;" see gross (adj.) + grain (n.).

groin (n.)

"oblique depression of the body between the abdomen and thighs," 1590s, earlier grine (1530s), from Middle English grynde "groin" (c. 1400), originally "depression in the ground," from Old English grynde "abyss," perhaps also "depression, hollow," from Proto-Germanic *grundus (see ground (n.)). Altered 16c. by influence of loin or obsolete groin "snout of a pig." The architectural groin "curving edge formed by the intersection of two vaults" is from 1725.

grok (v.)

"understand empathically," 1961, an arbitrary formation by U.S. science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) in his book "Stranger in a Strange Land." In the book it is a transliteration of a Martian word and is said to mean etymologically "to drink." It attained popular use in 1960s-70s counterculture but is perhaps obsolete now except in internet technology circles.

grommet (n.)

also gromet, grummet, 1620s, "ring or wreath of rope," from obsolete French gromette "curb of a bridle" (Modern French gourmette), from gourmer "to curb," of uncertain origin. Extended sense of "metal eyelet" first recorded 1769.

groom (v.)

"tend or care for; curry and feed," 1809, from groom (n.1) in its secondary sense of "male servant who attends to horses." Transferred sense of "to tidy (oneself) up" is from 1843; figurative sense of "to prepare a candidate" is from 1887, originally in U.S. politics; meaning "train to accept sexual abuse" by 1989. Related: Groomed; grooming.

groom (n.2)

"husband-to-be at a wedding; newly married man," c. 1600 (usually as a correlative of bride), short for bridegroom (q.v.), in which the second element is Old English guma "man."

groom (n.1)

c. 1200 (late 12c. in surnames), grome "male child, boy;" c. 1300, "a youth, young man," also "male servant, attendant, minor officer in a royal or noble household ranking higher than a page; a knight's squire." A word of unknown origin with no certain cognates in other Germanic languages.

Perhaps it is from an unrecorded Old English *grom, *groma, which could be related to growan "to grow," and influenced by guma "man." Or perhaps it is from or influenced by Old French grommet "boy, young man in service, serving-man" (compare Middle English gromet "ship's boy," early 13c.). As the title of an officer of the English royal house from mid-15c. The specific meaning "male servant who attends to horses and stables" is from 1660s, from earlier combinations such as horse-groom, Groom of the Stables, etc.

groomsman (n.)

attendant on a bridegroom at a wedding, 1690s, from possessive of groom (n.2) + man (n.).

groove (v.)

1680s, "make a groove, cut a channel in," from groove (n.). Slang sense is from 1930s (see groovy). Related: Grooved; grooving.

groove (n.)

c. 1400, "cave; mine; pit dug in the earth" (late 13c. in place names), from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse grod "pit," or from Middle Dutch groeve "furrow, ditch" (Modern Dutch groef), both from Proto-Germanic *grobo (source also of Old Norse grof "brook, river bed," Old High German gruoba "ditch," German Grube "a pit, hole, ditch, grave," Gothic groba "pit, cave," Old English græf "ditch, grave"), from PIE root *ghrebh- (2) "to dig, bury, scratch" (see grave (n.)). Sense of "long, narrow channel or furrow," especially as cut by a tool, is 1650s. Meaning "spiral cut in a phonograph record" is from 1902. Figurative sense of "routine" is from 1842, often deprecatory at first, "a rut."

groovy (adj.)

1850, "pertaining to a groove," from groove (n.) + -y (2). The slang sense of "first-rate, excellent" is by 1937, American English, from jazz slang phrase in the groove (1932) "performing well" (without grandstanding). As teen slang for "wonderful," it dates from c. 1941; popularized mid-1960s, out of currency by 1980.

The earlier colloquial figurative sense was "having a tendency to routine, inclined to a specialized and narrow way of life or thought" (1882). Related: Grooviness.

grope (v.)

late Old English grapian "to feel about (as one blind or in darkness)," also "take hold of, seize, touch, attain," related to gripan "grasp at" (see gripe (v.)). The transitive sense of "search out by sense of touch alone" was in late Old English. The figurative sense is from early 14c. The indecent sense "touch (someone) amorously, play with, fondle" (marked as "obsolete" in OED 2nd edition) is from c. 1200. Related: Groped; groping.

grope (n.)

c. 1500, "act of groping," from grope (v.). Old English had grap "a grasp."

grosbeak (n.)

general name for a bird with a large bill, 1670s, partial translation of French grosbec; see gross (adj.) + beak.

groschen (n.)

1610s, small silver coin formerly used in Germany and Austria, from German groschen, altered from Czech groš, name of a coin (about one-thirtieth of a thaler), from Medieval Latin (denarius) grossus, literally "a thick coin," from Latin grossus "thick" (see gross (adj.), and compare groat).

gross (adj.)

mid-14c., "large;" early 15c., "thick," also "coarse, plain, simple," from Old French gros "big, thick, fat; tall; strong, powerful; pregnant; coarse, rude, awkward; ominous, important; arrogant" (11c.), from Late Latin grossus "thick, coarse" (of food or mind), in Medieval Latin "great, big" (source also of Spanish grueso, Italian grosso), a word of obscure origin, not in classical Latin. It is said to be unrelated to Latin crassus, which meant the same thing, or to German gross "large," but said by Klein to be cognate with Old Irish bres, Middle Irish bras "big."

Its meaning forked in English. Via the notion of "coarse in texture or quality" came the senses "not sensitive, dull stupid" (1520s), "vulgar, coarse in a moral sense" (1530s). Via the notion of "general, not in detail" came the sense of "entire, total, whole, without deductions" (early 15c.), as in gross national product (1947). The meaning "glaring, flagrant, monstrous" is from 1580s; modern meaning "disgusting" is first recorded 1958 in U.S. student slang, from earlier use as an intensifier of unpleasant things (gross stupidity, etc.).

gross (n.)

"a dozen dozen," early 15c., from Old French grosse douzaine "large dozen;" see gross (adj.). Earlier as the name of a measure of weight equal to one-eighth of a dram (early 15c.). Sense of "total profit" (opposed to net (adj.)) is from 1520s.

grossness (n.)

early 15c., "size," from gross (adj.) + -ness. The meaning "state of being indelicate, rude, or vulgar" is from 1680s.

gross (v.)

"to earn a total of," 1884, from gross (adj.) in the "whole, total" sense. Slang meaning "make (someone) disgusted" (usually with out) is from 1971. Related: Grossed; grossing.

grossly (adv.)

1520s, "plainly, obviously," from gross (adj.) + -ly (2). The meaning "coarsely, shamefully" is attested from 1540s; that of "excessively" is from 1610s.

grot (n.)

short for grotto, c. 1500; perhaps from or influenced by French grotte.

grotesque (adj.)

"wildly formed, of irregular proportions, boldly odd," c. 1600s, originally a noun (1560s), from French crotesque (16c., Modern French grotesque), from Italian grottesco, literally "of a cave," from grotta (see grotto). The explanation that the word first was used of paintings found on the walls of Roman ruins revealed by excavation (Italian pittura grottesca) is "intrinsically plausible," according to OED. Originally merely fanciful and fantastic, the sense became pejorative, "clownishly absurd, uncouth," after mid-18c. As the British name for a style of square-cut, sans-serif letter, from 1875. Related: Grotesquely; grotesqueness.

grotty (n.)

slang shortening of grotesque, it had a brief vogue 1964 as part of the argot popularized by The Beatles in "A Hard Day's Night." It unconsciously echoes Middle English groti "muddy, slimy," from Old English grotig "earthy," from grot "particle."

grotto (n.)

"picturesque cavern or cave," 1610s, from Italian grotta, earlier cropta, a corruption of Latin crypta "vault, cavern," from Greek krypte "hidden place" (see crypt). Terminal -o may be from its being spelled that way in many translations of Dante's "Divine Comedy."

grouch (n.)

"ill-tempered person," 1896, earlier "state of irritable glumness" (1890, in expressions such as to have a grouch on), U.S. college student slang, of uncertain origin, possibly from grutching "complaint, grumbling" (see grutch).

The verb is 1916, from the noun. Related: Grouched; grouching. Grouch bag "purse for carrying money secretly" (1908), probably so called for keeping the cash hidden from compatriots; it is the source of the nickname of U.S. comedian Julius "Groucho" Marx (1890-1977), who supposedly carried his money to poker games in one.

grouchy (adj.)

1895, U.S. college student slang, from grouch (n.) + -y (2). Related: Grouchily; grouchiness.

grounds (n.)

"residue at the bottom of a liquid," mid-14c., perhaps from past tense of grind (v.). Other senses, such as "enclosed portion of land" (mid-15c.) are from ground (n.).

grounded (adj.)

late 14c., "learned, instructed thoroughly in the basics;" 1540s as "firmly fixed or established," past-participle adjective from ground (v.). Electrical sense is from 1889. Meaning "having been denied privileges" is from 1940s. Dickens had room-ridden "confined to one's room."

ground (n.)

Old English grund "bottom; foundation; surface of the earth," also "abyss, Hell," and "bottom of the sea" (a sense preserved in run aground), from Proto-Germanic *grundu-, which seems to have meant "deep place" (source also of Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish grund, Dutch grond, Old High German grunt, German Grund "ground, soil, bottom;" Old Norse grunn "a shallow place," grund "field, plain," grunnr "bottom"). No known cognates outside Germanic.

Sense of "reason, motive" first attested c. 1200. Meaning "source, origin, cause" is from c. 1400. Electrical sense "connection with the earth" is from 1870 (in telegraphy). Meaning "place where one takes position" is from 1610s; hence stand (one's) ground (1707). To run to ground in fox-hunting is from 1779. Ground rule (1890) originally was a rule designed for a specific playing field (ground or grounds in this sense attested by 1718); by 1953 it had come to mean "a basic rule."

ground (v.)

mid-13c., "to put on the ground, to strike down to the ground;" late 14c., "lay the foundation of," also, figuratively, "to base" (an argument, sermon, etc.), from ground (n.). Meaning "instruct thoroughly in the basics" is from late 14c. Of ships, "to run into the ground," from mid-15c. (intransitive), transitive sense from 1650s. Of arms, from 1711. Electrical sense from 1881. Meaning "deny privileges" is 1940s, originally a punishment meted out to pilots (in which sense it is attested from 1930). In the sense "establish firmly" Old English had grundweallian, grundstaðelian; also gryndan "descend," gegryndan "to found."

ground (adj.)

"reduced to fine particles by grinding," 1765, past-participle adjective from grind (v.).

grounding (n.)

late 14c., "action of establishing," verbal noun from ground (v.). Meaning "instruction in fundamentals" is from 1640s. Sense of "background of a design" is from 1882.

ground-breaking (adj.)

also groundbreaking, 1907 as a figurative adjective, from expression to break ground (1650s), either for planting or for building, which was in figurative use by 1884; see ground (n.) + break (v.).

grounder (n.)

c. 1400, "one who establishes," agent noun from ground (v.). Baseball sense attested by 1867; earlier in cricket.

ground floor (n.)

also ground-floor, c. 1600, from ground (n.) + floor (n.); figurative use is from 1864.

ground-hog (n.)

also groundhog, "American marmot," 1784, from ground (n.) + hog (n.). Also known colloquially as a whistlepig, woodchuck, and compare aardvark. Ground Hog Day as a weather forecasting event is first recorded 1869, in an Ohio newspaper article that calls it "old tradition;" the custom though not the name, attested from 1850s. Similar superstitions are widespread; Webster ("The White Devil") refers to one from Elizabethan London:

groundling (n.)

"theater patron in the pit" (which originally had no floor or benches), c. 1600, from ground (n.) in an Elizabethan sense of "pit of a theater" + -ling. From the beginning emblematic of bad or unsophisticated taste. Old English grundling was a type of fish.

groundless (adj.)

Old English grundleas "bottomless, unfathomable, vast;" see ground (n.) + -less. Figurative sense of "having no adequate cause or reason" is from 1620s. Similar formation in Dutch grondeloos, German grundlos, Old Norse grunnlauss. Related: Groundlessly; groundlessness.

ground-swell (n.)

also groundswell, "broad, deep swell of the sea," 1783, from ground (n.) + swell (n.). Figurative sense (of sound, emotion, etc.) is attested from 1817.

groundwater (n.)

also ground-water, "water in the ground," 1890, from ground (n.) + water (n.1). Attested from mid-15c. in sense "water at the bottom of a stream."

groundwork (n.)

mid-15c., "foundation of a building or wall, solid base on which a structure is built," from ground (n.) + work (n.) in the older sense. Similar formation in Middle Dutch grontwerck, Dutch grondwerk, German grundwerk. Of immaterial things from 1550s.

ground zero (n.)

1946, originally with reference to atomic blasts. In reference to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York, it was in use by Sept. 13.

group (n.)

1690s, originally an art criticism term, "assemblage of figures or objects forming a harmonious whole in a painting or design," from French groupe "cluster, group" (17c.), from Italian gruppo "group, knot," which probably is, with Spanish grupo, from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *kruppaz "round mass, lump," part of the general group of Germanic kr- words with the sense "rounded mass" (such as crop (n.).

Extended to "any assemblage, a number of individuals related in some way" by 1736. Meaning "pop music combo" is from 1958. As it was borrowed after the Great Vowel Shift in English, the pronunciation of the -ou- follows French rather than English models.

group (v.)

"form into a group or groups," 1718 (transitive), 1801 (intransitive), from group (n.). Related: Grouped; grouping.

grouping (n.)

"act, process, or result of arranging in a group," 1748, verbal noun from group (v.).

grouper (n.)

type of fish, 1690s, from Portuguese garupa, of unknown origin, probably from a South American Indian language, perhaps Tupi.

groupie (n.)

"girl who follows pop groups," 1967, from group (n.) in the pop music sense + -ie. In World War II R.A.F. slang it was short for group captain.

groupthink (n.)

1959, from group (n.) + think.

grouse (n.)

type of game bird, 1530s, grows (plural, used collectively), of unknown origin, possibly from Latin or Welsh. Originally the moorhen of the British Isles; later the name was extended to similar birds in other places.

grouse (v.)

"complain," 1885 (implied in agent noun grouser), British Army slang, of uncertain origin. OED notes "a curious resemblance" to Normandy French dialectal groucer, from Old French groucier, grocier "to murmur, grumble, complain," which is of imitative origin (compare Greek gru "a grunt," gruzein "to grumble;" also see grutch). Related: Groused; grousing. As a noun from 1918, from the verb.

grout (n.)

"thin, fluid mortar" used in joints of masonry and brickwork, 1580s, extended from sense "coarse porridge," perhaps from Old English gruta (plural) "coarse meal," from Proto-Germanic *grut-, from PIE root *ghreu- "to rub, grind" (see grit (n.)). As a verb from 1838. Related: grouted; grouting.

grove (n.)

Old English graf "grove, copse, small wood" (akin to græafa "thicket"), not certainly found in other Germanic languages and with no known cognates. Groves of Academe refers to the shaded walks of the Academy at Athens.

grovel (v.)

1590s, Shakespearean back-formation from groveling "on the face, prostrate" (mid-14c.), also used in Middle English as an adjective but probably really an adverb, from gruffe, from Old Norse grufe "prone" + obsolete adverbial suffix -ling (which survives also as the -long in headlong, sidelong). The Old Norse word is found in liggja à grufu "lie face-down," literally "lie on proneness." Old Norse also had grufla "to grovel," grufa "to grovel, cower, crouch down." The whole group is perhaps related to creep (v.). Related: Groveled; grovelled; groveling; grovelling.

growing (n.)

late 14c., "a gradual increase, action of causing to increase," verbal noun from grow (v.). Meaning "that which has grown, a crop" is from 1540s. Dialectal growsome "tending to make things grow" is from 1570s.

grow (v.)

Old English growan (of plants) "to flourish, increase, develop, get bigger" (class VII strong verb; past tense greow, past participle growen), from Proto-Germanic *gro- (source also of Old Norse groa "to grow" (of vegetation), Old Frisian groia, Dutch groeien, Old High German gruoen), from PIE root *ghre- "to grow, become green" (see grass). Applied in Middle English to human beings (c. 1300) and animals (early 15c.) and their parts, supplanting Old English weaxan (see wax (v.)) in the general sense of "to increase." Transitive sense "cause to grow" is from 1774. To grow on "gain in the estimation of" is from 1712.