English
grimoire
Grimoire comes from Old French gramaire ‘grammar’, from Ancient Greek γρᾰμμᾰτῐκός ‘knowing one's letters’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- ‘to carve’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gerbʰ-1‘to carve’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*grə́pʰō1‘to scratch, cut or carve into’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγρᾰ́φω2‘to write’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγράμμα3‘that which is drawn or written’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγρᾰμμᾰτῐκός3grămmătĭkós‘knowing one's letters’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrammaticus3‘relating to grammar, grammatical’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrammatica3‘grammar’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gramaire3‘grammar’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgrimoire3
- Englishearliest quotation 1821grimoire3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek γράφω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek γράμμα
- 3 Wiktionary, English grimoire
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1821, M.: “There is something exceedingly unpleasant in being obliged to…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gerbʰ-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek γράφω‘to carve’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*grə́pʰōWiktionary, Ancient Greek γράφω‘to scratch, cut or carve into’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγρᾰ́φωWiktionary, Ancient Greek γράμμα‘to write’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγράμμαWiktionary, English grimoire‘that which is drawn or written’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγρᾰμμᾰτῐκόςWiktionary, English grimoiregrămmătĭkós‘knowing one's letters’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrammaticusWiktionary, English grimoire‘relating to grammar, grammatical’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrammaticaWiktionary, English grimoire‘grammar’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gramaireWiktionary, English grimoire‘grammar’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgrimoireWiktionary, English grimoire
- Englishearliest quotation 1821grimoireWiktionary, English grimoire. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1821, M.: “There is something exceedingly unpleasant in being obliged to…”
The story
The English word is a doublet of glamour, glamoury, gramarye, and grammar.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- ‘to carve’
crawl, crab, carve, crawfish, astrophotography, grammarian, 79 more
through Proto-Hellenic *grə́pʰō ‘to scratch, cut or carve into’
photo, cinema, graphic, graphite, graphene, epigram, 74 more
through Ancient Greek γρᾰ́φω ‘to write’
photography, graffiti, graft, demography, ultrasonography, epigraph, sonography, 41 more
through Ancient Greek γράμμα ‘that which is drawn or written’
through Latin grammatica ‘grammar’
through Old French gramaire ‘grammar’
Today it means
noun A book of instructions in the use of alchemy or magic, especially one containing spells for summoning demons.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “grimoire”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek γράφω, Ancient Greek γράμμα. 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 *gerbʰ- / grimoire