Dictionary

grey en · ADJ

Pronunciation

grā (UK, US)
(US) audio
/ɡɹeɪ/ (UK, US)
(Canada) audio
(US) audio
(UK) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *grēwaz Proto-West Germanic *grāg Old English [Term?] Old English grēġ Middle English grey English grey From Middle English grey, from Old English grēġ (Anglian). The spelling grey reflects the Anglian vowel development, whereas the variant gray stems from the West Saxon form grǣġ (through Middle English gray). Further derived from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see, to glance”), Russian зреть (zretʹ, “to watch, to look at”) (archaic), Lithuanian žeriù (“to shine”)).

Meanings

Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.
- These grey and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks. 1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC:
- This is itself a cheerless spot, particularly on a rainy day, when, overshadowed by the great massif of rock that towers in the background, and surrounded by the grey and cheerless quarries, it has a depressing character much in contrast with the green verdure encountered on the northern end of this interesting branch line. 1954 August, H. M. Madgwick, “The Blaenau Festiniog Tunnel”, in Railway Magazine, page 569:
(South-Africa, slang) Synonym of coloured (pertaining to the mixed race of black and white).

Forms

Spelling	Features	Source
greyer	Degree=Cmp	lexicographic
more grey	Degree=Cmp	lexicographic
most grey	Degree=Sup	lexicographic
greyest	Degree=Sup	lexicographic

grey en · NOUN

Pronunciation

grā (UK, US)
(US) audio
/ɡɹeɪ/ (UK, US)
(Canada) audio
(US) audio
(UK) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *grēwaz Proto-West Germanic *grāg Old English [Term?] Old English grēġ Middle English grey English grey From Middle English grey, from Old English grēġ (Anglian). The spelling grey reflects the Anglian vowel development, whereas the variant gray stems from the West Saxon form grǣġ (through Middle English gray). Further derived from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see, to glance”), Russian зреть (zretʹ, “to watch, to look at”) (archaic), Lithuanian žeriù (“to shine”)).

Meanings

Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.
- Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day, / That costs thy life, my gallant grey. 1810, Walter Scott, “(please specify the canto number or page)”, in The Lady of the Lake; […], Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for John Ballantyne and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and William Miller, →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):
- Pioneer seemed now to have the game in his own hands; but the Captain, by taking two desperate leaps, cut off a corner, by which he regained the ground he had lost by the fall, and was up with the grey the remainder of the chase. 1833, Sporting Magazine, volume 6, page 400:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
greys	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Relateds

greys

grey en · VERB

Pronunciation

grā (UK, US)
(US) audio
/ɡɹeɪ/ (UK, US)
(Canada) audio
(US) audio
(UK) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *grēwaz Proto-West Germanic *grāg Old English [Term?] Old English grēġ Middle English grey English grey From Middle English grey, from Old English grēġ (Anglian). The spelling grey reflects the Anglian vowel development, whereas the variant gray stems from the West Saxon form grǣġ (through Middle English gray). Further derived from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see, to glance”), Russian зреть (zretʹ, “to watch, to look at”) (archaic), Lithuanian žeriù (“to shine”)).

Meanings

Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.
- Now only a few hand-hewn cedar planks and roof beams remained, moss-grown and sagging—a few totem poles, greyed and split. 1941, Emily Carr, chapter 18, in Klee Wyck:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Source
greying	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
greys	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres	lexicographic
greyed	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
greyed	Tense=Past	lexicographic

grey en · ADJ

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Deriveds

Descendants

Synonyms

grey en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Relateds

grey en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms