Etymology

ground

G2R1O1U1N1D2

Today it means: The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground. Full definition →

Middle English ground ← Old English grund ← Proto-West Germanic *grundu
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ground · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʰrem-
  2. Proto-Germanic*grunduz
  3. Proto-West Germanic*grundu
  4. Old Englishgrund
  5. Middle Englishground
  6. English todayground

From Middle English ground, from Old English grund, from Proto-West Germanic *grundu, from Proto-Germanic *grunduz. Cognate with West Frisian grûn, Dutch grond and German Grund. (to punish): Compare (to bring) down to earth, to come down to earth.

ground · verb, adjective2

Inflected form of grind. See also milled.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishgrund all →

groundly

Proto-Germanic*grunduz all →

groingroundly

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.