Grin
/ɡrɪn/noun
To smile broadly, often showing the teeth.
Did you know?Grin comes from an Old English verb meaning “to show the teeth,” and its earliest sense was closer to a snarling expression than a friendly smile.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grinōjaną
“to bare the teeth, grimace”
Old English
OE
grennian
“to grin, show the teeth”
Middle English
ME
grennen
“to grin, sneer, make a tooth-baring expression”
16th Century
English
grin
“to smile broadly, often with the teeth showing”
Modern English
English
grin
“to smile broadly”