A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

grimalkin --- 1630, name given to a cat (cf. Shakespeare's Gray-Malkin, in "Macbeth," 1605), hence any cat, especially an old she-cat; from gray + Malkin, dim. of fem. proper name Matilda or Maud.

grime --- 1590, probably alteration of M.E. grim "dirt, filth," from M.L.G. greme "dirt" (cf. Flem. grijm, M.Du. grime). The verb was earliest (as M.E. grymen, c.1470) but was replaced early 16c. by begrime.

grin --- O.E. grennian "show the teeth" (in pain or anger), common Gmc. (cf. O.N. grenja "to howl," grina "to grin;" Du. grienen "to whine;" Ger. greinen "to cry"), from PIE base *ghrei- "be open." Sense of "bare the teeth in a broad smile" is c.1480, perhaps via the notion of "forced or unnatural smile." the noun is first attested 1635.

Grinch --- spoilsport; all usages trace to Dr. Seuss' 1957 book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

grind --- O.E. grindan, forgrindan "destroy by crushing" (class III strong verb; past tense grand, pp. grunden), from P.Gmc. *grindanan (cf. Du. grenden), related to ground, from PIE *ghrendh- "crushing" (cf. L. frendere "to gnash the teeth," Gk. khondros "corn, grain," Lith. grendu "to scrape, scratch"). The noun sense "steady, hard work" first recorded 1851 in college student slang; the meaning "hard-working student" is Amer.Eng. slang from 1864. Grinder as a type of large sandwich is first recorded 1954. To keep one's nose to the grindstone was originally to get control of another and treat him harshly: "This Text holdeth their noses so hard to the grindstone, that it clean disfigureth their Faces." [Frith, "Mirror to know Thyself," 1532] The main modern (reflective) sense of "work hard" is from 1828.

gringo --- 1849, from Mex.Sp. gringo, contemptuous word for "foreigner," from Sp. gringo "foreign, unintelligible talk, gibberish," perhaps ult. from griego "Greek." The "Diccionario Castellano" (1787) says gringo was used in Malaga for "anyone who spoke Spanish badly," and in Madrid for "the Irish."

grip (v.) --- O.E. grippan "to grip" (class I strong verb; past tense grap, pp. gripen), from W.Gmc. *gripjan (cf. O.H.G. gripfen), from root of gripe (q.v.). The noun developed from fusion of O.E. gripe "grasp, clutch" and gripa "handful, sheaf." Meaning "stage hand" is from 1888, from their work shifting scenery. Gripping in fig. sense of "grasping the emotions" is from 1896.

gripe --- O.E. gripan "grasp at, lay hold," from P.Gmc. *gripanan (cf. O.S. gripan, O.N. gripa, Du. grijpen, Goth. greifen "to seize"), from PIE base *ghrib- (cf. Lith. griebiu "to seize"). Figurative sense of "complain, grouse" is first attested 1932, probably from earlier meaning "gripping pain in the bowels" (1601).

grippe --- 1776, from Fr. grippe "influenza," originally "seizure," from gripper "to grasp, hook," of Frank. origin, from P.Gmc. *gripanan (see grip). Supposedly in reference to constriction of the throat felt by sufferers; the word spread through European languages after the influenza epidemic during the Rus. occupation of Prussia in the Seven Years' War (c.1760).

Griselda --- fem. proper name, from It., from Ger. Grishilda, from O.H.G. grisja hilda "gray battle-maid."

grisly --- O.E. grislic "horrible, dreadful," from grisan "to shudder, fear" (cf Du. griezelen, Ger. grausen "to shudder, fear").

grist --- O.E. grist "action of grinding, grain to be ground," perhaps related to grindan "to grind" (see grind). Meaning "wheat which is to be ground" is c.1430; the figurative extension from this sense is from the same date.

gristle --- O.E. gristle "cartilage," related to grost "gristle," from a common W.Gmc. word (cf. O.Fris., M.L.G. gristel, O.H.G. crostila).

grit --- O.E. greot "sand, dust, earth, gravel," from P.Gmc. *greutan "tiny particles of crushed rock" (cf. O.S. griot, O.Fris. gret, O.N. grjot "rock, stone," Ger. Grieß "grit, sand"), from PIE ghreu- "rub, pound, crush" (cf. Lith. grudas "corn, kernel," O.C.S. gruda "clod"). Sense of "pluck, spirit" first recorded Amer.Eng. 1808. Gritty in sense of "unpleasant" (of literature, etc.) is 1882, in reference to the sensation of eating gritty bread.

grits --- O.E. grytt (pl. grytta) "coarse meal, groats, grits," from P.Gmc. *grutja-, from the same root as grit, the two words having influenced one another in sound development. In Amer.Eng., corn-based grits and hominy (q.v.) were used interchangeably in Colonial times. Later, hominy meant whole kernels that had been skinned but not ground, but in the U.S. South, hominy meant skinned kernels that could be ground coarsely to make grits. In New Orleans, whole kernels are big hominy and ground kernels little hominy.

grizzled --- gray, 1319, from O.Fr. grisel, dim. of gris "gray," from a Frank. source (cf. O.H.G. gris "gray"). The -zz- spelling is c.1425. Grizzly is 1594; grizzly bear (ursus horribilis) is first recorded 1807, but belongs rather to grisly.

groan --- O.E. granian "to groan, murmur," from P.Gmc. *grain-, of imitative origin, or related to grin (cf. O.N. grenja "to howl").

groat --- medieval European coin, 1387, probably from M.Du. groot, elliptical use of adj. meaning "great" (in sense of "thick"); see great. Recognized from 13c. in various nations, in 14c. it was roughly one-eighth an ounce of silver; the English groat coined 1351-2 was worth four pence.

groats --- hulled grain, c.1100, from O.E. grot "particle," from same root as grit.

grocer --- 1255, "one who buys and sells in gross," from Anglo-Fr. grosser, from M.L. grossarius "wholesaler," lit. "dealer in quantity," from L.L. grossus "coarse (of food), great, gross" (see gross). Sense of "a merchant selling individual items of food" is 16c. Grocery "a grocer's shop" is 1828, Amer.Eng. Self-service groceries were a novelty in 1913 when a Montana, U.S., firm copyrighted the word groceteria (with the ending from cafeteria used in an un-etymological sense) to name them. The term existed through the 1920s.

grog --- 1770 (implied in groggy "intoxicated"), supposedly an allusion to Old Grog, nickname of Edward Vernon (1684-1757), British admiral who wore a grogram (q.v.) cloak and who in August 1740 ordered his sailors' rum to be diluted. George Washington's older half-brother Lawrence served under Vernon in the Carribean and renamed the family's Hunting Creek Plantation in Virginia for him in 1740, calling it Mount Vernon.

grogram --- 1562, from M.Fr. gros grain "coarse grain or texture."

groin --- 1592, from M.E. grynde "groin" (c.1400), originally "depression in the ground," from O.E. grynde "abyss," perhaps also "depression, hollow," from P.Gmc. *grundus (see ground). Altered 16c. by influence of loin. The architectural groin "edge formed by the intersection of two vaults" is from 1725.

grok --- to understand empathically, 1961, arbitrary formation by U.S. science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, in his book "Stranger in a Strange Land." In use 1960s, perhaps obsolete now except in internet technology circles.

grommet --- 1626, "ring or wreath of rope," from Fr. gromette "curb of a bridle," from gourmer "to curb," of uncertain origin. Extended sense of "metal eyelet" first recorded 1769.

groom (1) --- c.1225, grome "male child, boy, youth." No known cognates in other Gmc. languages. Perhaps from O.E. *groma, related to growan "grow;" or from O.Fr. grommet "servant" (cf. M.E. gromet "ship's boy," 1229). The fact is, it appeared 13c. and nobody knows from whence. Meaning "male servant who attends to horses" is from 1667. The verb is first attested 1809; the transferred sense of "to tidy (oneself) up" is from 1843; fig. sense of "to prepare a candidate" is from 1887, originally in U.S. politics.

groom (2) --- husband-to-be at a wedding, 1604, short for bridegroom (q.v.), from O.E. guma "man."

groove --- c.1400, from O.N. grod "pit," or M.Du. groeve "furrow, ditch," from P.Gmc. *grobo (cf. O.N. grof "brook, river bed," O.H.G. gruoba "ditch," Goth. groba "pit, cave," O.E. græf "ditch"), related to grave (n.). Sense of "long, narrow channel or furrow" is 1659. Meaning "spiral cut in a phonograph record" is from 1902. Fig. sense of "routine" is from 1842, often depreciatory at first, "a rut." Adj. groovy is 1853 in lit. sense of "of a groove;" 1937 in slang sense of "excellent," from jazz slang phrase in the groove (1932) "performing well (without grandstanding)." As teen slang for "wonderful," it dates from 1944; popularized 1960s, out of currency by 1980.

grope --- O.E. grapian "to feel about as one blind or in darkness," originally "to feel or handle," related to gripan "grasp at" (see gripe). Fig. sense is from c.1325. Indecent sense (marked as "obsolete" in OED) is from c.1300.

groschen --- 1617, small silver coin formerly used in Germany and Austria, from Ger. dim. of Czech groš, name of a coin (about one-thirtieth of a thaler), from M.L. (denarius) grossus, lit. "a thick coin," from L. grossus "thick" (see gross).

gross (adj.) --- c.1347, from O.Fr. gros "big, thick, coarse," from L.L. grossus "thick, coarse (of food or mind)," of obscure origin, not in classical L. Said to be unrelated to L. crassus, which meant the same thing, or to Ger. gross "large," but said to be cognate with O.Ir. bres, M.Ir. bras "big." Its meaning forked in M.E., to "glaring, flagrant, monstrous" on the one hand and "entire, total, whole" on the other. Meaning "disgusting" is first recorded 1958 in U.S. student slang, from earlier use as an intensifier of unpleasant things (gross stupidity, etc.). Noun sense of "a dozen dozen" is from O.Fr. grosse douzaine "large dozen;" sense of "total profit" (opposed to net) is from 1523. Gross national product first recorded 1947.

grotesque --- 1561, originally a noun, from M.Fr. crotesque, from It. grottesco, lit. "of a cave," from grotta (see grotto). Used first of paintings found on the walls of basements of Roman ruins (It. pittura grottesca). Originally "fanciful, fantastic," sense became pejorative after mid-18c. Grotty, slang shortening, had a brief vogue 1964 as part of Liverpool argot popularized by The Beatles in "A Hard Day's Night."

grotto --- 1617, from It. grotta, ult. from L. crypta "vault, cavern," from Gk. krypte "hidden place" (see crypt). Terminal -o may be from its being spelled that way in many translations of Dante's "Divine Comedy."

grouchy --- 1895, of uncertain origin, possibly from grutching "complaint, grumbling" (see grudge). Grouch (n.) "ill-tempered person" is a 1900 back-formation. Grouch bag "purse for carrying hidden money" (1908) is the source of the nickname of U.S. comedian Julius "Groucho" Marx, who supposedly carried his money in one to poker games.

ground --- O.E. grund "foundation, ground, surface of the earth," especially "bottom of the sea" (a sense preserved in run aground), from P.Gmc. *grundus, which seems to have meant "deep place" (cf. O.Fris. grund, Du. grond, Ger. Grund "ground, soil, bottom;" O.N. grunn "a shallow place, grund "field, plain," grunnr "bottom"). No known cognates outside Gmc. Sense of "reason, motive" first attested c.1205; electrical sense is from 1870. Grounds "residue at the bottom of a liquid" (1340) is perhaps from past tense of grind (q.v.). Meaning "deny privileges" is 1940s, originally a punishment meted out to pilots (in which sense it is attested from 1931). Ground-hog is attested from 1784; Ground Hog Day first recorded 1871, Amer.Eng. Groundwork (1550) is originally "the solid base on which a structure is built;" fig. sense is from 1557. Groundling "theater patron in the pit" is from 1602, from the beginning emblematic of bad or unsophisticated taste.

group --- 1695, originally an art criticism term, "assemblage of figures or objects in a painting or design," from Fr. groupe "cluster, group," from It. gruppo "group, knot," likely ult. from P.Gmc. *kruppaz "round mass, lump." Extended to "any assemblage" by 1736. The verb is from 1718. Meaning "pop music combo" is from 1958; hence groupie "girl who follows pop groups," first attested 1967.

grouper --- 1697, from Port. garupa, probably of South American Indian origin, perhaps from a word in Tupi.

grouse (n.) --- bird, 1531, grows (pl., used collectively), of unknown origin, possibly from Latin or Welsh.

grouse (v.) --- complain, 1887, British Army slang (first recorded by Kipling), of uncertain origin but perhaps from Norman Fr. dial. groucer, from O.Fr. groucier "to murmur, grumble," of imitative origin (cf. Gk. gru "a grunt," gruzein "to grumble").

grout --- 1587, "thin, fluid mortar," originally "coarse porridge," from O.E. gruta (pl.) "coarse meal," related to O.E. grytta (see grits).

grove --- O.E. graf (akin to græafa "thicket"), from P.Gmc. *graibo-, but not found in other Gmc. languages and with no known cognates anywhere.

grovel --- 1593, Shakespearian back-formation of M.E. groveling, regarded as a prp. but really an adv., from O.N. grufe "prone" + obsolete adverbial suffix -ling (which survives also as the -long in headlong, sidelong); first element from O.N. a grufu "on proneness." Perhaps related to creep.

grow --- O.E. growan (of plants) "to flourish, develop, get bigger" (class VII strong verb; past tense greow, pp. growen), from P.Gmc. *gro- (cf. O.N. groa, O.Fris. groia, Du. groeien, O.H.G. gruoen), from root of grass (q.v.). Applied in M.E. to human beings (c.1300) and animals (1435) and their parts, supplanting O.E. weaxan (see wax (v.)). "Have you ever heard anything about God, Topsy? ... Do you know who made you?" "Nobody, as I knows on," said the child. ... "I spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody never made me." [Harriet B. Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," 1851] Grown-up (adj.) "mature" is from 1633; the noun meaning "adult person" is from 1813. Growth is first attested 1557, on model of health, stealth, etc.

growl (v.) --- 1667, from M.E. grolling "rumbling in the bowels" (c.1380), from O.Fr. grouler "to rumble," said to be from Frank., probably ult. of imitative origin.

groyne --- strong, low sea wall, 1582, from obsolete groin "pig's snout" (because ir was thought to look like one), from O.Fr. groin, from L. grunnire "grunt."

grub (v.) --- c.1300, from hypothetical O.E. *grubbian, from W.Gmc. *grubbjan (cf. O.H.G. grubilon "to dig, search," Ger. grübeln "to meditate, ponder"), from P.Gmc. *grub- "to dig," base of O.E. grafan (see grave (v.)). The noun sense of "larva" (c.1400) is perhaps from the notion of "digging insect," or from the possibly unrelated M.E. grub "dwarfish fellow." The slang sense of "food" is first recorded 1659, said to be from birds eating grubs, but also often linked with bub "drink." Grubby is c.1845, from grub (n.) in a sense of "dirty child," who presumably got that way from digging in earth.

Grübelsucht --- 1876, from Ger., psychiatric term for "a form of obsession in which even the simplest facts are compulsively queried," from grübeln "to brood" (see grub (v.)) + sucht "mania."

grubstreet --- 1630, "originally the name of a street in Moorfields in London, much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems; whence any mean production is called grubstreet" [Johnson]. Name changed 1830 to Milton Street (after a local developer) then erased entirely 1970s by the Barbicon complex.

grudge (v.) --- c.1450, grucchen, from O.Fr. groucher "to murmur, to grumble," of unknown origin, probably ultimately imitative. The noun is 1477, from the verb.

gruel --- 1199, from O.Fr. gruel, from Frank. *grut (cf. M.Du. grute "coarse meal, malt;" M.H.G. gruz "grain"); gruelling "exhausting, punishing," first recorded 1891, from late 18c. slang get one's gruel "receive one's punishment."

gruesome --- 1570, from M.E. gruen "feel horror, shudder" (c.1300), possibly from M.Du. gruwen or M.L.G. gruwen "shudder with fear" (cf. Ger. grausam "cruel"), or from a Scand. source (cf. Dan. grusom "cruel," grue "to dread," though others hold that these are Low Ger. loan-words). One of the many Scottish words popularized in England by Scott's novels.

gruff --- 1533, from M.Du. or M.L.G. grof "coarse (in quality), thick, large" (cognate with O.E. hreof, O.N. hrjufr "rough, scabby"). Sense of "rough, surly" first recorded c.1690.

grumble --- 1586, from M.Du. grommelen "murmur, mutter, grunt," from grommen "to rumble, growl." Imitative, or perhaps akin to grim.

grump --- ill-humor, 1727, in humps and grumps "surly remarks," later the grumps "a fit of ill-humor" (1844), then "a person in ill humor" (1900); perhaps an extended sense of grum "morose, surly," which is probably related to Dan. grum "cruel;" or perhaps suggested by grumble, grunt, etc. Grumpy first recorded 1778.

grundyism --- 1836, from Mrs. Grundy, prudish character in Thomas Morton's 1798 play "Speed the Plow," play and playwright otherwise now forgotten, but the line "What would Mrs. Grundy say?" became proverbial.

grunge, grungy --- sloppiness, 1965, Amer.Eng. slang, perhaps a blend of grubby and dingy. The music and fashion style that originated in Seattle is attested from the early 1990s.

grunion --- 1917, from Amer.Sp. gruñon "grunting fish," from grunir "to grunt," from L. grunnire, from Gk. gryzein "to grunt," from gry "a grunt." The unrelated American fish called the grunt is "so called from the noise they make when taken."

grunt --- O.E. grunnettan, freq. of grunian "to grunt," probably imitative. The noun meaning "infantry" emerged in U.S. military slang during Vietnam War (first recorded in print 1969); used since 1900 of various low-level workers. Grunt work first recorded 1977.

Gruyère --- 1802, from the name of the Swiss town where the cheese is made.

G-string --- 1878, geestring, "loincloth worn by American Indian," originally the string that holds it up, etymology unknown. The spelling with G (1891) is perhaps from influence of violin string tuned to a G (in this sense G string is first recorded 1831). First used of women's attire 1936, with reference to strip-teasers.

gu- --- since g- followed by a vowel in Eng. usually has a "soft" pronunciation, a silent -u- was sometimes inserted between the g- and the vowel in M.E. to signal hardness, especially in words from Fr.; but this was not done with many Scand. words where hard "g" precedes a vowel (gear, get, give, etc.). Gmc. -w- generally became -gu- in words borrowed into Romance languages, but O.N.Fr. preserved the Frankish -w-, and Eng. sometimes borrowed both forms, hence guarantee/warranty, guard/ward, etc.

guacamole --- 1920, from Amer.Sp. guacamole, from Nahuatl ahuaca-molli, from ahuacatl "avocado" + molli "sauce."

Guadalcanal --- largest of the Solomon Islands, discovered 1568 by Sp. explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira and named for his hometown in Spain. The place name contains the Sp. form of Arabic wadi "river" which occurs in other Sp. place names (e.g. Guadalajara, from Arabic Wadi Al-Bajara "River of the Stones," either a parallel formation to or ult. a translation of the ancient Iberian name for the river that gave the place its earlier name, based on caruca "stony;" Guadalquivir, from Arabic Al-Wadi Al-Kabir "Big River;" and Guadalupe, from the Arabic river word and the Roman name of the river, Lupus, lit. "wolf").

Guam --- from Chamorro Guahan, said to mean lit. "what we have."

guano --- 1604, from Sp. guano "dung," especially of sea-birds on islands off Peru, from Quechua huanu "dung." Guanine, named 1850, so called because first isolated from guano.

guarantee (n.) --- 1679, perhaps via Sp. garante, from O.Fr. guarantie, pp. of fem. guarantir "to protect," from guarant "warrant," from Frank. *warjand-s, from P.Gmc. *war-, from PIE base *wer- "to cover" (see warrant). For form evolution, see gu-. Originally "person giving something as security," sense of the "pledge" itself (which is properly a guarranty) first recorded 1786. The verb is attested from 1791.

guard (n.) --- 1412, "one who keeps watch," from M.Fr. garde "guardian, warden, keeper," from garder "to guard," from O.Fr. guarder (corresponding to O.N.Fr. warder, see gu-), from Frank. *wardon, from P.Gmc. *wardo- (see ward (v.)). Abstract or collective sense of "a keeping, a custody" (as in bodyguard) is from 1426. Sword-play and boxing sense is from 1596. The verb is first recorded 1583, from the noun. Guarded "reserved and cautious in speech, behavior, etc." is from 1728. Guardian (c.1330) is from Anglo-Fr. gardein, from O.Fr. gardien, earlier guarden, from Frank. *warding-.

guava --- 1555, from Sp. guaya, variant of guayaba, from Arawakan (W. Indies) guayabo "guava tree."

gubber-tushed --- Gubber Tushed is when teeth stand out, and not in order. [R. Holme, "Armoury," 1688]. "Every Lover admires his Mistress, though she have ... a nose like a promontory, gubber-tushed, rotten teeth, (etc.)." [Robert Burton, "Anatomy of Melancholy," 1621]

gubernatorial --- 1734, formed in Amer.Eng. from L. gubernator (see govern).

gudgeon --- small freshwater fish, c.1425, from M.Fr. goujon, from O.Fr. gojon, from L. gobionem (nom. gobio), alt. of gobius, from Gk. kobios, a kind of fish.

Guelph --- 1579, from It. Guelfo, from O.H.G. Welf, name of a princely family that became the ducal house of Brunswick, lit. "whelp," originally the name of the founder. One of the two great parties in medieval It. politics, characterized by support of the popes against the emperors (opposed to the Ghibellines). They are the ancestors of the present dynasty of Great Britain. The name is said to have been used as a war-cry at the Battle of Weinsberg (1140) by partisans of Henry the Lion, duke of Bavaria, who was of the family, against Emperor Conrad III; hence it was adopted in Italy as the name of the anti-imperial party.

guerdon --- reward, recompense (now only poetic), 1366, from O.Fr. guerdon, from M.L. widerdonum, from O.H.G. widarlon; c.f. O.E. wiðerlean, from wiðer "again" (see with) + lean "payment." Form infl. in M.L. by L. donum "gift."

Guernsey --- breed of cattle, 1834, from the Channel Island where it was bred; the island name is Viking. Like neighboring Jersey, it was also taken as the name for a coarse, close-fitting vest of wool (1839), and in Australia the word supplies many of the usages of jersey in U.S.

guerrilla --- 1809, from Sp. guerrilla "body of skirmishers, skirmishing warfare," lit. "little war," dim. of guerra "war," from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. werra "strife, conflict, war;" see war). Acquired by Eng. during the Peninsular War (1808-1814), purists failed in their attempt to keep this word from taking on the sense properly belonging to guerrillero "guerrilla fighter."

guess (v.) --- c.1303, gessen "to estimate, appraise," originally "take aim," probably from Scand. (cf. Middle Danish gitse, getze "to guess," O.N. geta "guess, get"), possibly infl. by M.Du. gessen, M.L.G. gissen "to guess," all from P.Gmc. *getiskanan "to get" (see move). Sense evolution is from "to get," to "to take aim at," to "to estimate." U.S. sense of "calculate, recon" is true to the oldest Eng. meaning. Spelling with gu- is late 16c., sometimes attributed to Caxton and his early experience as a printer in Bruges. Guesswork is from 1725. Guesstimate is 1934, coined by statisticians, blending guess and estimate.

guest --- O.E. gæst, giest (Anglian gest) "guest, enemy," the common notion being "stranger," from P.Gmc. *gastiz (cf. O.Fris. jest, Du. gast, Ger. Gast, Goth. gasts), from PIE base *ghostis "strange" (cf. O.C.S. gosti "guest, friend"), also preserved in L. hostis "stranger, enemy," and hospes "host," from hosti-potis "host, guest," originally "lord of strangers." Spelling evolution infl. by O.N. gestr (the usual sound changes from the O.E. word would have yielded Mod.Eng. *yest). Phrase be my guest in the sense of "go right ahead" first recorded 1955.

guff --- empty talk, nonsense, 1888, from earlier sense of "puff of air" (1825), of imitative origin.

guffaw --- 1720, Scot., probably imitative of the sound of coarse laughter.

Guggenheim --- grant for advanced study, in reference to the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, established 1925 by U.S. Sen. Simon Guggenheim (1867-1941) in memory of his son, who died young. The senator's brother was an arts patron who founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1937, which grew into the Guggenheim Museum of modern art.