grave

grave · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰrebʰ-“to dig, scratch, scrape”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*grabą
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*grab
4. Old English · inherited fromgræf
5. Middle English · inherited fromgrave
6. English todaygrave

From Middle English grave, grafe, from Old English græf, grafu (“cave, grave, trench”), from Proto-West Germanic *grab, from Proto-Germanic *grabą, *grabō (“grave, trench, ditch”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to dig, scratch, scrape”). Cognate with West Frisian grêf (“grave”), Dutch graf (“grave”), Low German Graf (“a grave”), Graff, German Grab (“grave”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian grav (“grave”), Icelandic gröf (“grave”). Related to groove.

grave · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰrebʰ-“to dig, scratch, scrape”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*grabaną“to dig”
3. Old English · inherited fromgrafan“to dig, dig up, grave, engrave, carve, chisel”
4. Middle English · inherited fromgraven
5. English todaygrave

From Middle English graven, from Old English grafan (“to dig, dig up, grave, engrave, carve, chisel”), from Proto-Germanic *grabaną (“to dig”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to dig, scratch, scrape”). Cognate with Dutch graven (“to dig”), German graben (“to dig”), Danish grave (“to dig”), Swedish gräva (“to dig”), Icelandic grafa (“to dig”).

grave · adjective, noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷreh₂-
2. Proto-Indo-European*gʷréh₂us
3. Proto-Italic*gʷraus
4. Latingravis
5. Medieval Latingravō
6. Medieval Latingrava
7. Old Frenchgrave
8. Middle Frenchgrave
9. English todaygrave

From Middle French grave, a learned borrowing from Latin gravis (“heavy, important”). Compare Old French greve (“terrible, dreadful”). Doublet of grief.

grave · noun⁴

1. Middle English · inherited fromgreyve
2. English todaygrave

Inherited from Middle English greyve. Doublet of graaf (borrowed from the Dutch cognate graaf (“count, earl”)) and graf (borrowed from the German cognate Graf (“count, earl”)).

Grave · proper noun⁵

1. Middle English · derived fromgreyve“steward”
2. English todayGrave

* As an English surname, from Middle English greyve (“steward”). * Also as an English surname, variant of Grove. * As a French surname, from the noun gravier (“gravel”). * As a north German surname, variant of Graf; also from the Low German noun Graf (“ditch, grave”) (see grave).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. Characterised by a dignified sense of seriousness.
• from 17th c. Low in pitch, tone etc.
• from 19th c. Serious, in a negative sense; important, formidable.
• 16th–18th c. Influential, important; authoritative.