quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- grifter (n.)



[grifter 词源字典] - "confidence trickster," 1906, carnival and circus slang, probably an alteration of grafter (see graft (n.2); also compare grift). Gradually extended to "any non-violent criminal."[grifter etymology, grifter origin, 英语词源]
- grill (n.)




- "gridiron, grated utensil for broiling over a fire," 1680s, from French gril, from Old French greil, alteration of graille "grill, grating, railings, fencing" (13c.), from Latin craticula "gridiron, small griddle," diminutive of cratis "wickerwork," perhaps from a suffixed form of PIE *kert- "to turn, entwine." Grill-room "lunchroom where steaks, chops, etc. are grilled to order" (1869) came to be used for "informal restaurant," hence grill as a short form in this sense (by 1910). In many instances, Modern English grill is a shortened form of grille, such as "chrome front of an automobile."
- grill (v.)




- "to broil on a grill," 1660s, from grill (n.); figurative sense from 1842, and the specific (transitive) sense of "to subject to intense questioning" is first attested 1894. Related: Grilled; grilling.
- grille (n.)




- "ornamental grating," 1660s, from French grille (fem.) "grating," from Old French greille "gridiron," from Latin craticula "gridiron, small grill" (see grill (n.)). "The distinction in Fr[ench] between grille and grill ... appears to date from about the 16th c." [OED].
- grim (adj.)




- Old English grimm "fierce, cruel, savage; severe, dire, painful," from Proto-Germanic *grimmaz (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German, German grimm "grim, angry, fierce," Old Norse grimmr "stern, horrible, dire," Swedish grym "fierce, furious"), from PIE *ghrem- "angry," perhaps imitative of the sound of rumbling thunder (compare Greek khremizein "to neigh," Old Church Slavonic vuzgrimeti "to thunder," Russian gremet' "thunder").
A weaker word now than it once was; sense of "dreary, gloomy" first recorded late 12c. It also had a verb form in Old English, grimman (class III strong verb; past tense gramm, past participle grummen), and a noun, grima "goblin, specter," perhaps also a proper name or attribute-name of a god, hence its appearance as an element in place names.
Grim reaper as a figurative phrase for "death" is attested by 1847 (the association of grim and death goes back at least to 17c.). A Middle English expression for "have recourse to harsh measures" was to wend the grim tooth (early 13c.). - grim (n.)




- "spectre, bogey, haunting spirit," 1620s, from grim (adj.).
- grimace (n.)




- 1650s, from French grimace (15c.) "grotesque face, ugly mug," possibly from Frankish or another Germanic source (compare Old Saxon grima "face mask," Old English grima "mask, helmet"), from the same root as grim (adj.). With pejorative suffix -azo (from Latin -aceus).
- grimace (v.)




- 1707, from French grimacer, from grimace "grotesque face" (see grimace (n.)). Related: Grimaced; grimacing.
- grimalkin (n.)




- name given to a cat, 1620s, as in, or from, Shakespeare's Gray-Malkin, in "Macbeth" (1605), hence any cat, especially an old she-cat; from gray (adj.) + Malkin, diminutive of fem. proper name Matilda or Maud.
- grime (n.)




- 1580s, of uncertain origin, probably alteration of Middle English grim "dirt, filth" (early 14c.), from Middle Low German greme "dirt" or another Low German source, from Proto-Germanic *grim- "to smear" (cognates: Flemish grijm, Middle Dutch grime "soot, mask"), from PIE root *ghrei- "to rub" (see chrism). The verb was Middle English grymen (mid-15c.) but largely was replaced early 16c. by begrime.
- grimly (adv.)




- Old English grimlice; see grim (adj.) + -ly (2). Similar formation in Middle Dutch grimmelijc, Old Norse grimmligr.
- grimness (n.)




- Old English grimnes "ferocity, cruelty;" see grim (adj.) + -ness.
- grimoire (n.)




- magician's manual for invoking demons, 1849, from French grimoire, altered from grammaire "incantation; grammar" (see grammar). Also compare gramary, glamour.
- grimy (adj.)




- 1610s, from grime + -y (2). "App[arently] not in literary use during the 18th c." [OED]. Related: Griminess.
- grin (n.)




- 1630s, from grin (v.).
- grin (v.)




- Old English grennian "show the teeth" (in pain or anger), common Germanic (cognates: Old Norse grenja "to howl," grina "to grin;" Dutch grienen "to whine;" German greinen "to cry"), from PIE root *ghrei- "be open." Sense of "bare the teeth in a broad smile" is late 15c., perhaps via the notion of "forced or unnatural smile." Related: Grinned; grinning.
- Grinch (n.)




- "spoilsport;" all usages trace to Dr. Seuss's 1957 book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Kipling used grinching (1892) in reference to a harsh, grating noise; and Grinch had been used as the surname of severe characters in fiction since at least 1903.
- grind (v.)




- Old English grindan "to rub together, crush into powder, grate, scrape," forgrindan "destroy by crushing" (class III strong verb; past tense grand, past participle grunden), from Proto-Germanic *grindanan (cognates: Dutch grenden), related to ground, from PIE *ghrendh- "to grind" (cognates: Latin frendere "to gnash the teeth," Greek khondros "corn, grain," Lithuanian grendu "to scrape, scratch"). Meaning "to make smooth or sharp by friction" is from c. 1300. Most other Germanic languages use a verb cognate with Latin molere (compare Dutch malen, Old Norse mala, German mahlen).
- grind (n.)




- late Old English, "the gnashing of teeth;" c. 1200, "the act of chewing or grinding," from grind (v.). The sense "steady, hard, tedious work" first recorded 1851 in college student slang (but compare gerund-grinder, 1710); the meaning "hard-working student, one who studies with dogged application" is American English slang from 1864. Slang meaning "sexual intercourse" is by 1893.
- grinder (n.)




- Old English grindere "one who grinds (grain);" agent noun from grind (v.). Meaning "molar tooth" is late 14c. (Old English had grindetoð). Meaning "machine for milling" is from 1660s; of persons, from late 15c. "Large sandwich" sense is from 1954, American English, though the exact signification is uncertain (perhaps from the amount of chewing required to eat one).