grief English · revision 7924

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1200|origins=la gravis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɡɹiːf/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English gref, [[bor|xno|gref]], Old French grief, wrong, misfortune,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from grever, to afflict, burden (see [[grieve]]),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from Latin [[m|la|gravo|alt=gravāre|t=to make heavy; to cause grief]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from gravis, heavy (see [[grave]]),^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from PIE [[ine-pro|*gʷreh₂-|alt=*gwere-|t=heavy]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Pain or torment, hardship: probably before 1200, in the ''Ancrene Riwle''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Displeasure, anger, is an obsolete sense of before 1300, and hurt or injury done by another of about 1330.^(OED 1989) Sorrow, mental pain, is from about 1250–1300.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A bodily injury or ailment is from 1398, now obsolete.^(OED 1989) A wrong that is the subject of formal complaint is from about 1420.^(OED 1989) The spelling grief was introduced by Chaucer about 1390, probably from his knowledge of French.^(Barnhart 1988) ''Good grief!'', an exclamation of surprise or dismay, is from 1912.^(Etymonline) ''To come to grief'' and the informal ''give someone grief'', trouble or annoyance, are later idioms.^(Collins 2023) In Cornwall ''to make grief between'' meant to make mischief.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1200 – torment.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1250 – sorrow.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1390 – spelling grief.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1420 – a grievance.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1912 – good grief.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Deep [[sorrow]], especially at someone's death.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A cause of deep distress.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(informal)'' Trouble or annoyance: ''giving me grief''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[griefless]]

+ * [[grieflessness]]

+ * [[grief-stricken]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[grievance]]

+ * [[grieve]]

+ * [[grievous]]

+ * [[grave]]

+ * [[gravity]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''To come to grief'' means to end in failure or disaster.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}