English
great
Great comes from Middle English greet ‘great, large’, from Old English grēat ‘big, massive’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrewd- ‘to rub’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰrewd-‘to rub’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*grautaz‘coarse’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*grautreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150grēat‘big’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500greet‘great’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611great
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰrewd-‘to rub’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*grautaz‘coarse’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*grautreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150grēat‘big’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500greet‘great’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611great
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “So the King made Daniel a great man […]”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰrewd- ‘to rub’
through Proto-West Germanic *graut
through Old English grēat ‘big, massive’
Today it means
adj Taking much space; large.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰrewd- / great