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grog

Etymology and origin of the English word grog

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡɹɒɡ/ (UK); /ɡɹɑɡ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is named after Old Grog, the nickname of the British admiral Edward Vernon (1684–1757),[2][3][4][5][6] who wore a cloak of grogram, a coarse fabric.[2][3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A drink of spirits, originally rum, mixed with water (1749 in Etymonline; 1756 in Merriam-Webster; 1770 in Barnhart and the OED).[4][5][3][7]

Semantic evolution

In August 1740 Vernon ordered that his sailors' rum be diluted with water,[4][3][6] and the sailors named the mixture after him.[3][4] The word was later used for any strong drink,[4][6] and in Australia and New Zealand for alcohol of any kind, including beer (1946).[7] Groggy (1770) first meant drunk.[3] Lawrence Washington, who served under Vernon, renamed the family plantation Mount Vernon in his honour.[4]

Timeline

  • 1740 – Vernon orders the rum to be diluted.[4][3]
  • 1749 – rum and water.[4]
  • 1770 – groggy, drunk.[3]
  • 1790 – grog shop.[4]
  • 1833 – verb, to drink grog.[7]
  • 1946 – Australian and New Zealand, any alcohol.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Rum or another spirit mixed with water, often served hot with lemon and sugar.
  2. Any alcoholic drink.
  3. Crushed fired clay or pottery used in making refractory products.

Word family

  • groggery
  • groggy
  • grogshop
  • grogram
  • grosgrain

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Grog.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/grog. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·