Etymograph

English

greedily

Greedily comes from Middle English gredyly ‘Overexcitedly or impulsively’, from Old English grǣdiglīce ‘eagerly’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- ‘to desire, enjoy’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰreh₁-1‘to desire, enjoy’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*grēduz2‘hunger’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*grēdagaz2‘hungry’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*grādag2‘hungry, greedy’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150grǣdiġ3‘hungry, greedy’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150grǣdiglīce4‘eagerly’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gredyly4‘Overexcitedly or impulsively’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1958greedily4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *grēduz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English grædig
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English grædiglice
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English greedily
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy): “There he ordered beer from the adenoidal Chinese manager…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰreh₁-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *grēduz‘to desire, enjoy’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*grēduzWiktionary, Old English grædig‘hunger’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*grēdagazWiktionary, Old English grædig‘hungry’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*grādagWiktionary, Old English grædig‘hungry, greedy’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150grǣdiġWiktionary, Old English grædiglice‘hungry, greedy’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150grǣdiglīceWiktionary, English greedily‘eagerly’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gredylyWiktionary, English greedily‘Overexcitedly or impulsively’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1958greedilyWiktionary, English greedily. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy): “There he ordered beer from the adenoidal Chinese manager…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- ‘to desire, enjoy’

grow, green, grass, herb, arbor, groom, gourmet, graze, yerba, ambergris, 18 more

Today it means

adv In a greedy manner; with keen or ardent desire.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “greedily”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *grēduz, Old English grædig, Old English grædiglice. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- / greedily

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