English
grievous
Grievous comes from Anglo-Norman grevous, from Latin gravō ‘to burden’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷreh₂-1‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷréh₂us1‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷraus1‘heavy’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravis1‘heavy’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravō2‘to burden’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400grever2
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400grevous2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500grevous2
- Englishearliest quotation 1837grievous2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin gravo
- 2 Wiktionary, English grievous
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Age and Youth: “No wonder that the old man's eye dwelt upon…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷreh₂-Wiktionary, Latin gravo‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷréh₂usWiktionary, Latin gravo‘heavy’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷrausWiktionary, Latin gravo‘heavy’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravisWiktionary, Latin gravo‘heavy’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgravōWiktionary, English grievous‘to burden’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400greverWiktionary, English grievous
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400grevousWiktionary, English grievous
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500grevousWiktionary, English grievous
- Englishearliest quotation 1837grievousWiktionary, English grievous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Age and Youth: “No wonder that the old man's eye dwelt upon…”
Formed from grief + -ous
Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’
…
Proto-Italic *gʷraus ‘heavy’
Latin gravis ‘heavy, grievous, sad’
Old French grief ‘grave, heavy, grievous, sad’
Middle English greef
English grief
The story
Developed in the 13th century.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- ‘heavy’
bar, guru, brigadier, gravitate, aggravation, brio, brigand, 19 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us ‘heavy’
brutal, brute, brut, baryon, barite, 17 more
through Latin gravis ‘heavy’
grave, gravity, grief, gravitation, gravitas, 13 more
through Latin gravō ‘to burden’
Today it means
adj Causing grief, pain, or sorrow.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “grievous”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin gravo. 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 *gʷreh₂- / grievous