"G" Word Origins

Graf

German

From German Graf ("count").

graff

German

From German Graf ("count").

graffiti

Ancient Greek

Borrowed from Italian graffiti, the plural of graffito, from graffire ("to scratch"), ultimately from Ancient Greek graphein ("to write").

graft

Ancient Greek

From Old French greffe ("stylus"), from Latin graphium, from Ancient Greek grapheion — the shoot was named for its resemblance to a pointed pen.

Grafton

Old English

From Old English graf ("grove") plus tun ("enclosure, settlement").

graham

Origin · 1800

The flour and cracker are named after Sylvester Graham, a 19th-century American dietary reformer.

grail

Medieval Latin

From Old French graal ("cup"), from Medieval Latin gradalis, possibly a corruption of Latin crater ("bowl").

grain

Latin

From Old French grain, from Latin granum ("seed"), the same root behind "corn" and "granule."

Grainger

Origin

From an occupational surname for a grain dealer, a variant of Granger.

grains

Origin

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

grainy

Middle English

From Middle English greyny, from grain plus the adjective suffix -y.

graith

Origin

From Middle English graithen, greithen, graiden, grathen, from Old Norse greiða (“to make ready, prepare, arrange, disentangle”), from Proto-Germanic *garaidijaną (“to prepare, put in order”). Cognate with Old English ġerǣdan (“to arrange, dispose, order, provide for, harness”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (garaidjan, “to enjoin”).

gram

Ancient Greek

From French gramme, from Ancient Greek gramma ("a small weight").

grame

Origin

From Middle English grame, gram, grome, from Old English grama (“rage, anger, trouble, devil, demon”), from Proto-Germanic *gramô (“anger”), *gramaz (“fiend, enemy”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- (“to rub, grind, scrape”). Cognate with Middle Dutch gram (“angry”), Dutch gram (“wrath”), Middle Low German gram (“anger”), German Gram (“grief, sorrow”), Old Danish gram (“devil”), Icelandic gramir, gröm (“fiends, demons”). Related to gram (“angry”, adjective), grim.

gramercy

Old French

From Old French grant merci ("great thanks").

grammar

Ancient Greek

From Old French gramaire ("classical learning"), from Latin grammatica, from Ancient Greek grammatike ("skilled in writing"), from gramma ("letter, writing").

Grammy

Origin

The music award's name comes from "gramophone," the old term for a record player.

gramophone

Ancient Greek · 1887

Coined as a trademark in 1887 by Emile Berliner from Ancient Greek gramma ("letter") and phone ("sound").

grampa

Origin

An alteration of "grandpa."

grams

Origin

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

gran

Origin

A shortened, informal form of "granny," itself derived from "grandmother."

Granada

Arabic

From Arabic غَرْنَاطَة (ḡarnāṭa), originally the name of a suburb later incorporated into the city. A doublet of Grenada.

granary

Latin

From Latin granarium, a storeroom for grain, itself built on granum, "grain." It shares a root with the word "garner."

grand

Latin

From Old French grant/grand, from Latin grandis, meaning "full-grown" or "great."

grandam

Origin

From Middle English graundame, from Old French grant dame. Doublet of grande dame.

grandchild

Origin

Formed from "grand-" (indicating a generation removed) plus "child."

granddad

Origin

Built from "grand-" plus the informal word "dad."

granddaddy

Origin

From "grand-" plus "daddy," a child's word for father.

granddaughter

Origin

From "grand-" plus "daughter."

grande

Italian

Borrowed from Italian grande, meaning "large" or "great," related to English "grand."

grandee

Origin

Borrowed from Spanish grande (adjective), from Latin grandis (“large, great”). Doublet of grand and grande.

grandeur

Latin

From Middle French grandeur, ultimately from Latin grandis, "great" — the same root behind "grand."

grandfather

French

From Middle English grandfadre, modeled on French grand-père, replacing the older English "eldfather."

grandiloquence

Origin

From Middle French grandiloquence, from Latin grandiloquentia, from grandiloquus, 1580s.

grandiose

Latin

From French grandiose, from Italian grandioso, ultimately from Latin grandis, "great."

grandioso

Origin

Borrowed from Italian grandioso, from Latin grandis (“great, grand”) (English grand). Doublet of grandiose.

grandma

Origin

A blend of "grand-" and "ma," modeled on "grandmother."

grandmammy

Origin

From grand- + mammy.

grandmother

Middle English

From Middle English graundmodre, formed from "grand-" plus "mother," replacing the older word "eldmother."

grandpa

Origin

A blend of "grand-" and "pa," modeled on "grandfather."

grandparent

Origin

From "grand-" plus "parent."

grandpaw

Origin

From grand- + paw.

grandsire

Origin

From Middle English graunsire; compare grand and sire.

grandson

Origin

From "grand-" plus "son."

grandstand

Origin

A compound of "grand" and "stand," originally describing the main seating stand at a racecourse.

grandstanding

Origin

Formed from "grandstand" (verb) plus the suffix "-ing."

Grandview

Origin

From grand and view.

grange

Latin

From Old French grange, "granary" or "barn," ultimately from Latin granum, "grain."