Grim
/ɡrɪm/noun
Stern, forbidding, or depressing in manner or appearance.
Did you know?In Old English, cognates of grim could mean fierce, cruel, or terrifying, and the same ancient root also survives in words like ‘grimace’ and ‘groom.’
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*grem-
“to snarl, gnash, or show the teeth”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grimmaz
“fierce, savage, cruel”
Old English
OE
grim
“fierce, cruel, terrible, wrathful”
Old Norse
ON
grimmr
“fierce, stern, severe”
Middle English
ME
grim
“stern, harsh, forbidding”
Modern English
English
grim
“stern, forbidding, or depressing”