English
Great Bridge
Great Bridge comes from Old English grēot ‘grit’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- ‘to grind, to rub’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰer-‘to grind, to rub’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰrewd-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*greutą‘grit’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150grēot‘grit’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020Great Bridge
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰer-‘to grind, to rub’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰrewd-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*greutą‘grit’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150grēot‘grit’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020Great Bridge
Earliest quotation: 2020, Paul Mendez, Rainbow Milk: “They scaled the debris of crumbling breezeblocks […] and…”
The story
In the West Midlands, "Great" comes from Old English grēot.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- ‘to grind, to rub’
grand, grill, greedy, charismatic, growl, yearn, chromatic, grime, yar, grout, ochre, grisly, grist, grimace, exhort, 17 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰrewd-
Today it means
name An area of Tipton, Sandwell borough, West Midlands, England (OS grid ref SO9892).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- / Great Bridge