grave

Where does the word "grave" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic grabą, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Grave’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: grabą meant “ditch, grave.” From the verb 'to dig'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as græf. From 'grafan', to dig, also the source of 'engrave' and 'groove'. It reached English by 1500s as grave. Unrelated to 'grave', serious, from Latin 'gravis', heavy. Today, grave means a place of burial.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient grabą "ditch, grave", from the verb 'to dig'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s græf "grave, trench", from 'grafan', to dig, also the source of 'engrave' and 'groove'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s grave "burial place", unrelated to 'grave', serious, from Latin 'gravis', heavy.