English
groaner
Groaner comes from Middle English groner.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500groner
- Englishearliest quotation 1993groaner
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500groner
- Englishearliest quotation 1993groaner
Earliest quotation: 1993, Peggy O'Brien, Shakespeare Set Free: Teaching Romeo and Juliet: “From the cleverest repartee to the worst groaner, people…”
Formed from groan + -er
Proto-Germanic *grīnaną ‘to whine’
Proto-Germanic *grainōną ‘to howl’
Proto-West Germanic *grainōn
Old English grānian ‘to groan’
Middle English gronen ‘to groan or cry due to birth pangs’
English groan
Every English word from Middle English groner
Today it means
noun One who groans or complains.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English groner / groaner