• Greave

    Pronunciation

    • enPR: grÄ“v
    • Homophones: grieve
    • Rhymes: -iːv

    Origin 1

    From Middle English greve, from Old English grǣfe, grǣfa ("bush, bramble, grove, thicket, copse, brush-wood (for burning), fuel"), from Proto-Germanic *grainiz ("twig"), of unknown origin. Cognate with Old Norse grein ("branch, bough"), Old English grāf, grāfa ("grove"). See grove.

    Full definition of greave

    Noun

    greave

    (plural greaves)
    1. (obsolete) A bush; a tree; a grove.
    2. (obsolete) A bough; a branch.

    Origin 2

    From Middle English greve, greyve, from Old English grǣfa, grēfa ("pit, cave, hole, grave, trench"), from Proto-Germanic *grōbō ("pit, ditch"), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- ("to dig, scratch, scrape"). Cognate with North Frisian groop ("pit, sewer, gutter"), Dutch groef ("pit, hole, gutter"), German Grube ("pit, hole"), Icelandic gröf ("pit, grave").

    Noun

    greave

    (plural greaves)
    1. (obsolete) A ditch or trench.

    Origin 3

    From Middle English greve, grayve, from Old French greve ("shin"), of unknown origin.

    Alternative forms

    Noun

    greave

    (plural greaves)
    1. A piece of armour that protects the leg, especially the shin.

    Origin 4

    From greaves, animal fat.

    Verb

    1. (nautical, transitive) To clean (a ship's bottom); to grave.

    Anagrams

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