English
grenadier
Grenadier comes from French grenadier ‘pomegranate tree’, from Medieval Latin pomum granatum ‘seeded fruit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm ‘grain’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵr̥h₂nóm1‘grain’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*grānom1‘grain’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānum2‘grain, seed’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānātus2‘having many seeds’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānātum3
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500pomum granatum3‘seeded fruit’
- Italianc. 1300–presentpom granat3
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400grenate3‘pomegranate (fruit)’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgrenade4‘pomegranate’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgrenadier5‘pomegranate tree’
- Englishtodaygrenadier5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin granum
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin granatum
- 3 Wiktionary, French grenade
- 4 Wiktionary, French grenadier
- 5 Wiktionary, English grenadier
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵr̥h₂nómWiktionary, Latin granum‘grain’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*grānomWiktionary, Latin granum‘grain’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānumWiktionary, Latin granatum‘grain, seed’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānātusWiktionary, Latin granatum‘having many seeds’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānātumWiktionary, French grenade
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500pomum granatumWiktionary, French grenade‘seeded fruit’
- Italianc. 1300–presentpom granatWiktionary, French grenade
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400grenateWiktionary, French grenade‘pomegranate (fruit)’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgrenadeWiktionary, French grenadier‘pomegranate’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgrenadierWiktionary, English grenadier‘pomegranate tree’
- EnglishtodaygrenadierWiktionary, English grenadier
Formed from grenade + -ier
Latin grānātum ‘having grains’
…
Italian pom granat
Old French pomme grenate ‘pomegranate’
Old French grenate ‘pomegranate’
French grenade ‘pomegranate’
English grenade
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm ‘grain’
through Proto-Italic *grānom ‘grain’
through Latin grānum ‘grain, seed’
grain, granite, gram, garner, grange, granular, granary, granule, 6 more
through Old French grenate ‘pomegranate (fruit)’
Today it means
noun A type of soldier, originally one who threw grenades, later a member of a company formed from the tallest men of the regiment; now specifically, a member of the Grenadier Guards of Canada and the United Kingdom.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “grenadier”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin granum, Latin granatum, French grenade, French grenadier. 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 *ǵr̥h₂nóm / grenadier