Online Etymology Dictionary

graphology: "study of handwriting," 1882, from Fr. graphologie, coined 1868 by Abbé Jean-Hippolyte Michon (1806-81) from Gk. graphein "to write" + logos "a speaking, a dealing with" (see logos).
grapnel: 1373, Anglo-Fr. dim. of O.Fr. grapil "hook," from grape "hook" (see grape).
grappa: "brandy distilled from the residue of wine-making," 1893, from It., lit. "grapes" (see grape).
grapple (n.): 1295, from O.Fr. grapil "hook" (see grapnel). The verb is 1530, from the noun.
graptolite: 1838, from Mod.L. graptolithus, lit. "written-stone," from Gk. graptos "engraved, written" (verbal adj. of graphein) + lithos "stone." So called because the fossils resemble writing.
grasp: 1382, possibly metathesis of O.E. *græpsan "to touch, feel," from P.Gmc. *graipison (cf. E.Fris. grapsen "to grasp"), from root *graip (see grope). Originally "to reach for, feel around;" sense of "seize" first recorded mid-16c.
grass: O.E. græs, gærs "herb, plant, grass," from P.Gmc. grasan (cf. O.N., Ger., Goth. gras), from PIE *ghros- "young shoot, sprout," from base *gro-/*gre- "that which grows" (cf. L. gramen "grass"); related to grow and green. Sense of "marijuana" is first recorded 1938, Amer.Eng. Grasshopper is O.E. gærshoppa (cf. M.Swed. gräshoppare, Ger. Grashüpfer); as a term of reproach, from Eccl. xii.5. Grass widow (1528) was originally "discarded mistress" (cf. Ger. Strohwitwe, lit. "straw-widow"), probably in allusion to casual bedding. Sense of "married woman whose husband is absent" is from 1846.
"[G]rasse wydowes ... be yet as seuerall as a barbours chayre and neuer take but one at onys." [More, 1528]
grate (n.): c.1400, from M.L. grata "lattice," from L. cratis "wickerwork."
grate (v.): late 14c. (implied in grater), from O.Fr. grater "to scrape," from Frank. *kratton, from P.Gmc. *krattojan (cf. O.H.G. krazzon "to scratch, scrape"), probably of imitative origin. Senses of "sound harshly," and "annoy" are 16c.
grateful: 1552, from obsolete adj. grate "agreeable, thankful," from L. gratus "pleasing" (see grace). "A most unusual formation" [Weekley]. Hard to think of another case where English uses -ful to make an adj. from an adj. Grateful Dead, the San Francisco rock band, took its name, according to Jerry Garcia, from a dictionary entry he saw about the folk tale motif of a wanderer who gives his last penny to pay for a corpse's burial, then is magically aided by the spirit of the dead person. A different version of the concept is found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
gratify: c.1540, "to show gratitude to," from L. gratificari "to do favor to, oblige, gratify," from gratus "pleasing" (see grace) + root of facere "make, do, perform" (see factitious). Meaning "to give pleasure to" is from 1568.
gratis: 1444, "for nothing, freely," from L. gratis, contraction of gratiis "for thanks," hence, "without recompense," abl. of gratiæ "thanks," pl. of gratia "favor."
gratitude: c.1500, from M.L. gratitudo "thankfulness," from L. gratus "thankful, pleasing" (see grace).
gratuitous: 1656, "freely bestowed," from L. gratuitus "free, spontaneous, voluntary," from gratia "favor." Sense of "uncalled for, done without good reason" is first recorded 1691.
gratuity: 1523, "graciousness," from M.L. gratuitas "gift," probably from L. gratuitus "free, freely given" (see gratuitous). Meaning "money given for favor or services" is first attested 1540.
gravamen: "grievance," 1647, from L.L. gravamen "trouble, physical inconvenience," from gravare "to burden, aggravate," from gravis "heavy" (see grave (adj.)).
grave (n.): O.E. græf "grave, ditch," from P.Gmc. *graban (cf. O.S. graf, O.Fris. gref, O.H.G. grab "grave, tomb;" O.N. gröf "cave," Goth. graba "ditch"), from PIE base *ghrebh-/*ghrobh- "to dig, to scratch, to scrape" (cf. O.C.S. grobu "grave, tomb"); related to grafan "to dig" (see grave (v.)). From Middle Ages to 17c., they were temporary, crudely marked repositories from which the bones were removed to ossuaries after some years and the grave used for a fresh burial. "Perpetual graves" became common from c.1650. To make (someone) turn in his grave "behave in some way that would have offended the dead person" is first recorded 1888. Graveyard shift "late-night work" is c.1907, from earlier nautical term, in reference to the loneliness of after-hours work.
grave (adj.): 1540s, from M.Fr. grave, from L. gravis "weighty, serious, heavy," from PIE base *gru- (cf. Skt. guruh "heavy, weighty;" Gk. baros "weight," barys "heavy in weight," often with the notion of "strength, force;" Goth. kaurus "heavy"). Greek barys (opposed to kouphos) also was used figuratively, of suffering, sorrow, sobbing, and could mean "oppressive, burdensome, grave, dignified, impressive."
grave (v.): O.E. grafan (p.t. grof, pp. grafen) "to dig, carve," from P.Gmc. *grabanan (cf. O.N. grafa, O.Fris. greva, O.H.G. graban, Goth. graban "to dig, carve"), from the same source as grave (n.). Its M.E. strong pp., graven, is the only part still active, the rest of the word supplanted by its derivative, engrave.
gravel: c.1300, from O.Fr. gravele, dim. of grave "sand, seashore," from Celt. *gravo- (cf. Welsh gro "coarse gravel," Bret. grouan, Cornish grow "gravel").
Graves' disease: 1868, named for Ir. physician Robert James Graves (1796-1853), who first recognized the disease in 1835.
gravid: "pregnant," 1590s, from L. gravidus, from gravis "burdened, heavy" (see grave (adj.)).
gravity: 1509, "weight, dignity, seriousness," from L. gravitatem (nom. gravitas) "weight, heaviness, pressure," from gravis "heavy" (see grave (adj.)). The scientific sense of "force that gives weight to objects" first recorded 1641. Gravitate is first recorded 1692.
gravy: 1381, from O.Fr. grané (with -n- misread for -u- -- the character used for -v- in medial positions in words in medieval manuscripts) "sauce, stew," probably originally "properly grained, seasoned," from L. granum "grain, seed." Meaning "money easily acquired" first attested 1910; gravy train (1927) was originally railroad slang for a short haul that paid well.
gray: O.E. græg (Mercian grei), from P.Gmc. *græwyaz (cf. O.N. grar, O.Fris. gre, Du. graw, Ger. grau), from PIE *ghreghwos, but no certain cognates outside Gmc. The distinction between British grey and U.S. gray developed 20c. Gray as figurative for "Southern troops in the U.S. Civil War" is first recorded 1863, in reference to their uniform color.
graze (1): "feed," O.E. grasian "to feed on grass," from græs "grass" (see grass).
graze (2): "touch," 1604, perhaps a transferred sense from graze (1) via a notion of cropping grass right down to the ground (cf. Ger. grasen "to feed on grass," used in military sense in ref. to cannonballs that rebound off the ground).
grease: late 13c., from Anglo-Fr. grece, from O.Fr. graisse, from V.L. *crassia "(melted) animal fat, grease," from L. crassus "thick, solid, fat." Verb sense of "ply with bribe or protection money" is 1520s, from notion of grease the wheels "make things run smoothly" (mid-15c.). To grease (someone's) palm is from 1580s. Greasy spoon "small cheap restaurant" is from 1925. Greaser, derogatory Amer.Eng. slang for "native Mexican or Latin American," first attested 1849.
great: O.E. great "big, coarse, stout," from W.Gmc. *grautaz (cf. O.S. grot, O.Fris. grat, Du. groot, Ger. groß "great"). Originally "big in size, coarse," it took over much of the sense of M.E. mickle, and is now largely superseded by big and large except for non-material things. As a prefix to terms denoting "kinship one degree further removed" (1538) it is from the similar use of Fr. grand, itself used as the equivalent of L. magnus. An O.E. way of saying "great-grandfather" was þridda fæder, lit. "third father." In the sense of "excellent, wonderful" great is attested from 1848. Great White Way "Broadway in New York City" is from 1901. Greatcoat "large, heavy overcoat" is from 1661. Great Spirit "high deity of the North American Indians," 1703, originally translates Ojibwa kitchi manitou. The Great War originally (1887) referred to the Napoleonic Wars, later (1914) to what we now call World War I (see world).
" 'The Great War' -- as, until the fall of France, the British continued to call the First World War in order to avoid admitting to themselves that they were now again engaged in a war of the same magnitude." [Arnold Toynbee, "Experiences," 1969]
greaves: c.1300, from O.Fr. greve "shin" (12c.), of uncertain origin.
grebe: 1766, from Fr. grèbe, possibly from Breton krib "a comb," since some species are crested.
greed: c.1600, a back formation from greedy.
greedy: O.E. grædig "voracious," also "covetous," from P.Gmc. *grædagaz (cf. O.S. gradag, O.N. graðr "greed, hunger"), from base *græduz (cf. Goth. gredus "hunger," O.E. grædum "eagerly"), cognate with Skt. grdh "to be greedy." In Gk., the word was philargyros, lit. "money-loving." A German word for it is habsüchtig, from haben "to have" + sucht "sickness, disease," with sense tending toward "passion for."
Greek: O.E. Crecas (pl.), early Gmc. borrowing from L. Græci "the Hellenes," from Gk. Grakoi. Aristotle, who was the first to use Graikhos as equivalent to Hellenes ("Meteorologica" I.xiv) wrote that it was the name originally used by Illyrians for the Dorians in Epirus, from Graii, native name of the people of Epirus. But a modern theory (put forth by Ger. classical historian Georg Busolt, 1850-1920), derives it from Graikhos "inhabitant of Graia" (lit. "gray"), a town on the coast of Boeotia, which was the name given by the Romans to all Greeks, originally to the Gk. colonists from Graia who helped found Cumae (9c. B.C.E.), the important city in southern Italy where the Latins first encountered Greeks. It was reborrowed in this general sense by the Greeks. Meaning "unintelligible speech, gibberish" is from 1600. Meaning "Greek letter fraternity member" is student slang, 1900.
"It was subtle of God to learn Greek when he wished to become an author -- and not to learn it better." [Nietzsche, "Beyond Good and Evil," 1886]
The Turkish name for the country is Yunanistan, lit. "Land of the Ionians," hence Arabic, Hindi Yunan. Greek gift is from "Æneid," II.49: "timeo Danaos et dona ferentes." The Gmc. languages originally borrowed the word with an initial -k- sound (cf. O.H.G. Chrech, Goth. Kreks), which was probably their initial sound closest to the Latin -g- at the time; the word was later refashioned.
green: O.E. grene, earlier groeni, related to O.E. growan "to grow," from W.Gmc. *gronja- (cf. O.Fris. grene, O.N. grænn, Dan. grøn, Du. groen, Ger. grün), from PIE base *gro- "grow," through sense of "color of living plants." The color of jealousy at least since Shakespeare (1596); "Greensleeves," ballad of an inconstant lady-love, is from 1580. Meaning of "a field, grassy place" was in O.E. Sense of "of tender age, youthful" is from 1412; hence "gullible" (1605). Greenhorn (containing the sense of "new, fresh, recent") was first "young horned animal" (1455), then "recently enlisted soldier" (1650), then "any inexperienced person" (1682). Green light in figurative sense of "permission" is from 1937. Green and red as signals on railways first attested 1883, as nighttime substitutes for semaphore flags. Green beret originally "British commando" is from 1949. Green room "room for actors when not on stage" is from 1701; presumably a well-known one was painted green.
greenback: "U.S. dollar bill," 1862, so called from the time of their introduction; bank paper money printed in green ink had been called this since 1778 (as opposed to redbacks, etc.).
Greenland: O.N. Groenland, so named by its discoverer (986 C.E.) because "it would induce settlers to go there, if the land had a good name": "Hann gaf nafn landinu ok kallaði Groenland, ok kvað menn þat myndu fysa þangat farar, at landit ætti nafn gott." [Islendingabok, 1122-1133]
greens: "vegetables," 1725, from green. Greens "ecology political party," first recorded 1978, from Ger. die Grünen (West Germany), an outgrowth of Grüne Aktion Zukunft "Green Campaign for the Future," a mainly anti-nuclear power movement, and/or grüne Listen "green lists" (of environmental candidates). Green (adj.) in the sense of "environmental" is attested from 1972; Greenpeace, the international conservation and environmental protection group, is from 1971.
Greenwich: "town on the south bank of the Thames adjoining London," O.E. Grenewic (964), lit. "Green Harbor." The Royal Observatory there founded June 22, 1675, by King Charles II specifically to solve the problem of finding longitude while at sea. In October 1884, at the behest of the President of the U.S.A., 41 delegates from 25 nations met in Washington, D.C., for the International Meridian Conference. They decided to adopt a single world meridian, passing through the principal Transit Instrument at the observatory at Greenwich, as the basis of calculation for all longitude and a worldwide 24-hour clock. The Greenwich motion passed 22-1; San Domingo voted against it; France and Brazil abstained. Greenwich Village quarter of New York City has been symbolic of "American bohemia" since 1924.
greet: O.E. gretan "to come in contact with" (in sense of "attack, accost" as well as "salute, welcome"), from W.Gmc. *grotja (cf. O.S. grotian, O.Fris. greta, Du. groeten, O.H.G. gruozen, Ger. grußen "to salute, greet"), perhaps originally "to resound" (via notion of "cause to speak"), causative of P.Gmc. *grætanan, root of O.E. grætan (Anglian gretan) "weep, bewail," and greet still means "cry, weep" in Scot. & northern England dialect. Grætan is probably also the source of the second element in regret. First record of greeting card is from 1898.
gregarious: 1668, "living in flocks" (of animals), from L. gregarius, from grex (gen. gregis) "flock, herd," reduplication of PIE base *gere- "to gather together, assemble" (cf. Gk. ageirein "to assemble," agora "assembly;" O.C.S. grusti "handful;" Lith. gurgulys "chaos, confusion, gurguole "crowd, mass"). Sense of "sociable" first recorded 1789.
Gregorian: lit. "pertaining to Gregory," from L.L. Gregorianus, 1653 in reference to music, from Gregory I (pope from 590-600), who traditionally codified it; 1642 in reference to new calendar (introduced 1582) from Pope Gregory XIII.
Gregory: male proper name, common in England and Scotland by 1143 (Gregory I sent the men who converted the English to Christianity), from L. Gregorius, from Gk. gregorios, a derivative of gregoros "to be watchful," from PIE base *ger- "to be awake" (cf. Skt. jagarti "he is awake," Avestan agarayeiti "wakes up, rouses"). At times confused with L. gregarius (see gregarious).
gremlin: "small imaginary creature blamed for mechanical failures," oral use in R.A.F. aviators' slang from Malta, Middle East and India said to date to 1923. First printed use perhaps in poem in journal "Aeroplane" April 10, 1929; certainly in use by 1941, and popularized in World War II and picked up by Americans (e.g. "New York Times" Magazine April 11, 1943). Possibly from a dial. survival of O.E. gremman "to anger, vex" + -lin of goblin; or from Ir. gruaimin "bad-tempered little fellow." Surfer slang for "young surfer, beach trouble-maker" is from 1961.
grenade: "small explosive shell," 1591, from M.Fr. grenade "pomegranate," from O.Fr. pomegrenate (infl. by Sp. granada), so called because the many-seeded fruit suggested the powder-filled, fragmenting bomb, or from similarities of shape. Grenadiers (1676) originally were soldiers "who were dexterous in flinging hand-granados" [Evelyn], from Fr. grenadier; later "the tallest and finest men in the regiment."
grenadine: 1896, from Fr. sirop de grenadin, from M.Fr. grenade "pomegranate."
Gretchen: fem. proper name, Ger. dim. of Greta, a Ger. and Swed. pet form of Margaret.
grey: see gray.
greyhound: O.E. grighund, from grig- "bitch" + hund "dog" (see hound). The name has nothing to do with color, and most are not gray. The O.N. form of the word is preserved in Hjalti's couplet that almost sparked war between pagans and Christians in early Iceland:
Vilkat goð geyja
grey þykkjumk Freyja

"I will not blaspheme the gods,
but I think Freyja is a bitch"
grid: 1839, shortening of gridiron. City planning sense is from 1954 (hence gridlock 1980). Meaning "network of transmission lines" first recorded 1926.