Etymology

grouse

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Today it means: Any of various game birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere; specifically, the red grouse (Lagopus scotica) native to heather moorland on the British Isles. Full definition →

First used 1530sOld French grue ← Medieval Latin gruta ← Latin grūs
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grouse · noun, verb1

  1. Celtic · borrowed from
  2. Latin · derived fromgrūs“crane”
  3. Medieval Latin · derived fromgruta“crane”
  4. Old French · derived fromgrue“crane”
  5. English todaygrouse

Attested in the 1530s, as grows ("moorhen"), a plural used collectively. The origin of the noun is unknown; the following derivations have been suggested: * From Old French grue (“crane”) (modern French grue) or Medieval Latin gruta (“crane”), both from Latin grūs (“crane”). * Borrowed from Celtic or a different Medieval Latin word. * Imitative of the bird’s call. The verb is derived from the noun.

grouse · verb, noun2

  1. Frankish · derived from*grōtijan“to make cry, scold, rebuke”
  2. Old French · derived fromgroucier
  3. Norman · borrowed fromgroucier
  4. English todaygrouse

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly borrowed from Norman groucier, from Old French groucier, grousser (“to grumble, murmur”) [and other forms] (whence grutch (“to complain; to murmur”) and grouch). The further etymology is unknown, but it may be derived from Frankish *grōtijan (“to make cry, scold, rebuke”) or of onomatopoeic origin. The noun is derived from the verb.

grouse · adjective3

  1. Scots · derived fromgroosh“excellent, very good”
  2. English todaygrouse

Uncertain; possibly from British dialectal groosh (“excellent, very good”) (Lothian (Scotland)), grosh (northeast Lancashire) and groshy (“having thriving vegetation; juicy and tender; of weather: good for vegetation, rainy”) (Lancashire, Yorkshire), grushie (“having thriving vegetation”) (Scotland); from Scots groosh (“excellent, very good”) (Lothian, obsolete), grush (obsolete), grushie, grushy (“growing healthily or lushly; excellent, very good”) (both archaic), from gross (“lacking refinement, coarse; fat; large”) + -ie (suffix meaning ‘rather, somewhat’).

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchgrue all →

Grewe

Latingrūs all →

grus

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1530s Any of various game birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere; specifically, the red grouse (Lagopus scotica) native to heather moorland on the British Isles.
  • from late 19th c. To complain or grumble.
  • from early 20th c. A cause for complaint; a grumble.
  • from 1920s Excellent.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.