English
grieve
Grieve comes from Old French grever ‘to burden’, from Latin gravis ‘grave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷreh₂-‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷréh₂us‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷraus‘heavy’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravis‘grave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400grever‘to burden’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500greven‘to grieve’
- Englishearliest quotation 1782grieve
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷreh₂-‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷréh₂us‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷraus‘heavy’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravis‘grave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400grever‘to burden’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500greven‘to grieve’
- Englishearliest quotation 1782grieve
Earliest quotation: 1782, William Cowper, On the Receipt of my Mother’s Picture: “Thy maidens griev'd themselves at my concern.”
The story
For the meaning development compare Russian тяготи́ть (tjagotítʹ, “to be a burden (on), to oppress”), Russian тужи́ть (tužítʹ, “to experience grief”), related to тяжёлый (tjažólyj, “heavy, grave”), тя́жкий (tjážkij).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’
bar, guru, brigadier, gravitate, aggravation, brio, brigand, 19 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us ‘heavy’
brutal, brute, brut, baryon, barite, 17 more
through Latin gravis ‘grave’
gravity, grave, grief, gravitation, gravitas, 13 more
through Latin gravō
Another origin of grieve
- Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600grēve
- Old Norsec. 800–1350greifi
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500greve‘thicket, copse, bush’
- Englishtodaygrieve
Today it means
verb To cause sorrow or distress to.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- / grieve