grow English · revision 2838

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725, Genesis A|origins=ine-pro *ghre-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ɡrəʊ/, US /ɡroʊ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|growen]],^(MWU 2024)^(Barnhart 1988) [[inh|ang|grōwan|t=to flourish, develop, get bigger (of plants)]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*grō-]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[ine-pro|*ghre-|t=to grow, become green]],^(Etymonline) the source also of [[grass]] and [[green]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) It is cognate with Old Frisian grōia, Dutch groeien, Old High German gruoen and Old Norse gróa.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Of a plant, to flourish, put forth leaves: about 725, in ''Genesis A''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old English used the verb only of plants;^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) for people and animals the usual word was weaxan, now [[wax]].^(Barnhart 1988) It was applied to human beings from about 1300 and to animals from the early 15th century, and supplanted weaxan in the general sense “to increase”.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) From “to develop” came the sense “to come to be, become”, as in ''grow old''.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002) ''Grow on'', “to gain in someone's liking”, is from 1712,^(Etymonline) and the transitive sense “to cause to grow, raise” from 1774.^(Etymonline) The figurative “to expand a business” is a 20th-century use.^(MWU 2024)^(AHD) ''Grower'' is from 1449,^(Barnhart 1988) the adjective ''grown-up'' from before 1393,^(Barnhart 1988) the noun ''a grown-up'' in Jane Austen's letters in 1813,^(Barnhart 1988) and ''growth'' from 1557.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – of plants, to flourish.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1300 – of human beings.^(Etymonline)

+ * early 15th century – of animals.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1449 – ''grower''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1557 – ''growth''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1712 – ''grow on''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1774 – to cause to grow, cultivate.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1813 – ''a grown-up''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To increase in size by a natural process, as a living thing does.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To develop and reach [[maturity]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To increase in amount or degree; to [[expand]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To come to be gradually; to become: ''grow tired''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To raise or [[cultivate]] plants or crops.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # To make a business or economy larger.^(AHD)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[grower]]

+ * [[growingly]]

+ * [[growable]]

+ * [[grown-up]]

+ * [[growth]]

+ * [[outgrow]]

+ * [[overgrow]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[grass]]

+ * [[green]]

+ * [[grown]]

+ * [[wax]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The past tense is ''grew'' and the past participle ''grown'',^(SOED 2002) ''growed'' is dialectal or colloquial.^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}