English
gridiron
Gridiron comes from Middle English gredire ‘a gridiron’, from gridil ‘griddle’, and ultimately from Latin crātis ‘wickerwork, framework, grating’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrātis‘wickerwork, framework, grating’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrātīcula‘grill, grating’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400gredil
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gridilas gridel, itself alteration‘griddle’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500gredire‘a gridiron’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500gridirne
- Englishearliest quotation 1603gridiron
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrātis‘wickerwork, framework, grating’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrātīcula‘grill, grating’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400gredil
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gridilas gridel, itself alteration‘griddle’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500gredire‘a gridiron’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500gridirne
- Englishearliest quotation 1603gridiron
Earliest quotation: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “I know, there have been found seely boores, who…”
Proto-Celtic *īsarnom
…
Proto-West Germanic *īsarn
Old English īsern ‘the metal iron’
Old English īren
Middle English iren ‘iron’
English iron
The story
The ending was assimilated to iron, as if from grid + iron, whence grid was later derived.
Linked words
through Latin crātīcula ‘grill, grating’
through Middle English gridil ‘griddle’
Today it means
noun An instrument of torture on which people were secured before being burned by fire.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin crātis / gridiron