grise

plural grises · alternative greeze · alternative greese

1. obsoleteA step (in a flight of stairs); a degree.

   Every grise of fortune / Is smoothed by that below.

   c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]

plural grises

1. alternativeAlternative form of grice (“a pig”).

   Grice or Grise, a Swine (6ᵗʰ S. vi. 537) — This word is derived from O.N. griss, porcellus.

   [1883 April 7, F.C. Birkbeck Terry, Notes and Queries, page 274

   2 more examples

   ‘Grise,’ observe Nicolson and Burn, ‘is a common name for swine, and it may well seem to have taken its name from being frequented by wild boars, which are beasts of the forest. […] Swinedale,’ they add (probably in error), ‘may be so called from Wild Boars having frequented there ; as there are Grisedale, Boredale, Stybarrow, in the neighbouring parish of Barton ; and Wildboarfell

   1892, Hugh Alexander MacPherson, “Wild Boar”, in A Vertebrate Fauna of Lakeland Including Cumberland and Westmorland with Lancashire North of the Sands, page l

   ‘Grice’ was used to designate the young of the badger, because the male and female were known as the boar pig and the sow. […] So that from this it is perfectly clear that the word ‘grice’ or ‘grise,’ when used in connexion with badgers’ young, simply means the little badger pigs, and has nothing whatever to do with gris = grey.

   1912 March 2, “Replies. Grise : Grey : Badger”, in Notes and Queries, page 170

plural Grises

1. A surname.