Etymograph

English

grit

Grit comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- ‘to grind, to rub’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰer-‘to grind, to rub’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰrewd-reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*greutąreconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*greutreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150grēot
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500grete
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1767grit

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰer-‘to grind, to rub’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰrewd-reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*greutąreconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*greutreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150grēot
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500grete
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1767grit

Earliest quotation: 1767, Oliver Goldsmith: “The sanded floor that grits beneath the tread”.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- ‘to grind, to rub’

grand, greedy, charismatic, grill, yearn, chromatic, growl, yar, ochre, grout, grime, exhort, grisly, grimace, grist, 17 more

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰrewd-

great, groat, 4 more

through Middle English grete

greatly, greet, gert, 2 more

Another origin of grit

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰrewd-uncertain
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gruti‘coarsely ground bits’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150grytt‘bran’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*gryt‘bran, chaff’reconstructed
  5. Englishtodaygrit

Today it means

noun A collection of hard small materials, such as dirt, ground stone, debris from sandblasting or other such grinding, or swarf from metalworking.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- / grit

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