Etymograph

English

grimdark

From grim (adjective) + dark (adjective), inspired by the tagline of the tabletop strategy game Warhammer 40,000 (its rulebook first published in September 1987): In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

A compound of grim + dark

Proto-Germanic *grimmaz ‘grim, grimly, fierce’

Proto-West Germanic *grimm ‘grim, angry’

Old English grimm ‘fierce, savage, terrible, cruel, angry’

Middle English grim

English grim

Proto-West Germanic *derk

Old English deorc

Middle English derk

English dark

Today it means

adj Of a film, television programme, video game, written work, etc.: having a gloomy, dystopian atmosphere.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / grimdark