Grizzled
/ˈɡrɪz.əld/noun
Having gray or gray-streaked hair, or having a rough, weathered appearance.
Did you know?English grizzled ultimately comes from a Germanic root meaning “gray,” the same ancient color-word behind several other old European words for hoary, silvered, or ash-colored things.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵreh₂-
“to become gray or greenish; a root associated with gray coloration”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grēwaz
“gray, gray-haired”
Old English
English
grǣg
“gray, hoary”
Middle English
English
grisel
“grayish, gray-haired”
16th Century
English
grizzled
“streaked or sprinkled with gray”