Online Etymology Dictionary

grounding (n.
grounding (n.): late 14c., "action of establishing," verbal noun from ground (v.). Meaning "instruction in fundamentals" is from 1640s. Sense of "background of a design" is from 1882.
groundless (adj.): Old English grundleas "bottomless, unfathomable, vast;" see ground (n.) + -less. Figurative sense of "having no adequate cause or reason" is from 1620s. Similar formation in Dutch grondeloos, German grundlos, Old Norse grunnlauss. Related: Groundlessly; groundlessness.
groundling (n.): "theater patron in the pit" (which originally had no floor or benches), c. 1600, from ground (n.) in an Elizabethan sense of "pit of a theater" + -ling. From the beginning emblematic of bad or unsophisticated taste. Old English grundling was a type of fish.
grounds (n.): "residue at the bottom of a liquid," mid-14c., perhaps from past tense of grind (v.). Other senses, such as "enclosed portion of land" (mid-15c.) are from ground (n.).
groundwater (n.): also ground-water, "water in the ground," 1890, from ground (n.) + water (n.1). Attested from mid-15c. in sense "water at the bottom of a stream."
groundwork (n.): mid-15c., "foundation of a building or wall, solid base on which a structure is built," from ground (n.) + work (n.) in the older sense. Similar formation in Middle Dutch grontwerck, Dutch grondwerk, German grundwerk. Of immaterial things from 1550s.
group (n.): 1690s, originally an art criticism term, "assemblage of figures or objects forming a harmonious whole in a painting or design," from French groupe "cluster, group" (17c.), from Italian gruppo "group, knot," which probably is, with Spanish grupo, from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *kruppaz "round mass, lump," part of the general group of Germanic kr- words with the sense :rounded mass" (such as crop (n.). Extended to "any assemblage, a number of individuals related in some way" by 1736. Meaning "pop music combo" is from 1958.
group (v.): "form into a group or groups," 1718 (transitive), 1801 (intransitive), from group (n.). Related: Grouped; grouping.
grouper (n.): type of fish, 1690s, from Portuguese garupa, of unknown origin, probably from a South American Indian language, perhaps Tupi.
groupie (n.): "girl who follows pop groups," 1967, from group (n.) in the pop music sense + -ie. In World War II R.A.F. slang it was short for group captain.
grouping (n.): "act, process, or result of arranging in a group," 1748, verbal noun from group (v.).
groupthink (n.): 1959, from group (n.) + think.
grouse (n.): type of game bird, 1530s, grows (plural, used collectively), of unknown origin, possibly from Latin or Welsh. Originally the moorhen of the British Isles; later the name was extended to similar birds in other places.
grouse (v.): "complain," 1885 (implied in agent noun grouser), British Army slang, of uncertain origin. OED notes "a curious resemblance" to Normandy French dialectal groucer, from Old French groucier, grocier "to murmur, grumble, complain," which is of imitative origin (compare Greek gru "a grunt," gruzein "to grumble;" also see grutch). Related: Groused; grousing. As a noun from 1918, from the verb.
grout (n.): "thin, fluid mortar" used in joints of masonry and brickwork, 1580s, extended from sense "coarse porridge," perhaps from Old English gruta (plural) "coarse meal," from Proto-Germanic *grut-, from PIE root *ghreu- "to rub, grind" (see grit (n.)). As a verb from 1838. Related: grouted; grouting.
grove (n.): Old English graf "grove, copse, small wood" (akin to græafa "thicket"), not certainly found in other Germanic languages and with no known cognates. Groves of Academe refers to the shaded walks of the Academy at Athens.
grovel (v.): 1590s, Shakespearean back-formation from groveling "on the face, prostrate" (mid-14c.), also used in Middle English as an adjective but probably really an adverb, from gruffe, from Old Norse grufe "prone" + obsolete adverbial suffix -ling (which survives also as the -long in headlong, sidelong). The Old Norse word is found in liggja à grufu "lie face-down," literally "lie on proneness." Old Norse also had grufla "to grovel," grufa "to grovel, cower, crouch down." The whole group is perhaps related to creep (v.). Related: Groveled; grovelled; groveling; grovelling.
grow (v.): Old English growan (of plants) "to flourish, increase, develop, get bigger" (class VII strong verb; past tense greow, past participle growen), from Proto-Germanic *gro- (source also of Old Norse groa "to grow" (of vegetation), Old Frisian groia, Dutch groeien, Old High German gruoen), from PIE root *ghre- "to grow, become green" (see grass). Applied in Middle English to human beings (c. 1300) and animals (early 15c.) and their parts, supplanting Old English weaxan (see wax (v.)) in the general sense of "to increase." Transitive sense "cause to grow" is from 1774. To grow on "gain in the estimation of" is from 1712.
Have you ever heard anything about God, Topsy? ... Do you know who made you?" "Nobody, as I knows on," said the child. ... "I spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody never made me." [Harriet B. Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," 1851]
grow up (v.): "advance toward maturity," 1530s, from grow (v.) + up (adv.). As a command to be sensible, from 1951.
grower (n.): "one who produces," mid-15c., agent noun from grow (v.). Meaning "that which increases" is from 1560s.
growing (adj.): Old English, present participle adjective from grow (v.). Growing season is attested from 1729; growing pains by 1752.
growing (n.): late 14c., "a gradual increase, action of causing to increase," verbal noun from grow (v.). Meaning "that which has grown, a crop" is from 1540s. Dialectal growsome "tending to make things grow" is from 1570s.
growl (v.): 1660s, from Middle English grollen "to rumble, growl" (early 15c.), from Old French grouler "to rumble," said to be from Frankish; probably ultimately of imitative origin. Related: Growled; growling. The noun is 1727, from the verb.
growler (n.): "pitcher or other vessel for beer," 1885, American English slang, of uncertain origin; apparently an agent noun from growl (v.). The thing itself owes its popularity to laws prohibiting sale of liquor on Sundays and thus the tippler's need to stock up. Also in early use in the expression work the growler "go on a spree." Also late 19c. slang for a four-wheeled cab.
grown (adj.): late 14c., "increased in growth," past participle adjective from grow (v.). Meaning "arrived at full growth, mature" is from 1640s.
grown-up (adj.): "mature," late 14c., past participle adjective from grow up. The noun meaning "adult person" is from 1813, short for grown-up person, etc.
growse (n.): obsolete spelling of grouse (n.).
growse (v.): "shiver, have a chill," Northern England dialect, probably from an unrecorded Old English equivalent to Old High German gruwison "be in terror, shudder," German grausen (see gruesome).
growth (n.): 1550s, "stage in growing," from grow + -th (2), on model of health, stealth, etc. Compare Old Norse groði, from groa "to grow." Meaning "that which has grown" is from 1570s; "process of growing" is from 1580s. Old English used grownes "increase, prosperity."
groyne (n.): "strong, low sea wall," 1580s, perhaps from obsolete groin "pig's snout" (c. 1300; the wall so called because it was thought to look like one), from Old French groin "muzzle, snout; promontory, jutting part," from Latin grunnire "to grunt" (compare English colloquial grunter "a pig").
grub (v.): c. 1300, "dig in the ground," from hypothetical Old English *grybban, *grubbian, from West Germanic *grubbjan (source also of Middle Dutch grobben, Old High German grubilon "to dig, search," German grübeln "to meditate, ponder"), from PIE *ghrebh- (2) "to dig, bury, scratch" (see grave (n.)). Transitive sense "dig up by the roots" is from 1550s. Related: Grubbed; grubbing.
grub (n.): "larva of an insect," early 15c., perhaps from grub (v.) on the notion of "digging insect," or from the possibly unrelated Middle English grub "dwarfish fellow" (c. 1400). Meaning "dull drudge" is 1650s. The slang sense of "food" is first recorded 1650s, said to be from birds eating grubs, but also often linked with bub "drink."
grub-stake (n.): also grubstake, "material, provisions, etc. supplied to an enterprise (originally a prospector) in return for a share in the profits," by 1876, American English western mining slang, from grub (n.) + stake (n.2).
Grub-street (n.): 1620s, "originally the name of a street in Moorfields in London, much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems; whence any mean production is called grubstreet" [Johnson]. The place was renamed 1830 to Milton Street (after a local developer) then erased entirely 1970s by the Barbicon complex.
grubber (n.): "digger," late 13c. as a surname; 1590s as a tool, agent noun from grub (v.). Meaning "one who gets wealth contemptibly" is from 1570s.
grubby (adj.): "dirty," by 1845, from grub (n.) in a sense of "dirty child" (who presumably got that way from digging in earth) + -y (2). Earlier it was used in a sense of "stunted, dwarfish" (1610s) and "infested with grubs" (1725). Related: Grubbily; grubbiness.
grubelsucht (n.): 1876, from German Grübelsucht, psychiatric term for "a form of obsession in which even the simplest facts are compulsively queried" [OED], from grübeln "to brood" (see grub (v.)) + sucht "mania."
grudge (v.): mid-15c., "to murmur, complain," variant of grutch. Meaning "to begrudge, envy, wish to deprive of" is c. 1500. Related: Grudged; grudges; grudging; grudgingly.
grudge (n.): "ill will excited by some special cause," late 15c., from grudge (v.).
gruel (n.): late 12c., "meal or flour made of beans, lentils, etc.," from Old French gruel "fine meal" (Modern French gruau), a diminutive form from Frankish *grut or another Germanic source, cognate with Middle Dutch grute "coarse meal, malt;" Middle High German gruz "grain," from PIE *ghreu- "to rub, grind" (see grit (n.)). Meaning "thin porridge or soup" is late 14c.
gruelling (adj.): also grueling, "exhausting, punishing," 1852, present participle adjective from gruel (v.) "to punish," from late 18c. slang get (or have) one's gruel "receive one's punishment," from gruel (n.).
gruesome (adj.): 1560s, with -some (1) + grue, from Middle English gruen "feel horror, shudder" (c. 1300); not recorded in Old English or Norse, possibly from Middle Dutch gruwen or Middle Low German gruwen "shudder with fear" (compare German grausam "cruel"), or from a Scandinavian source (such as Danish grusom "cruel," grue "to dread," though others hold that these are Low German loan-words). One of the many Scottish words popularized in England by Scott's novels. Related: Gruesomely; gruesomeness.
gruff (adj.): 1530s, of physical things, "coarse, coarse-grained," from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German grof "coarse (in quality), thick, large," of uncertain origin, regarded by some as related to Old English hreof, Old Norse hrjufr "rough, scabby," with Germanic completive prefix ga-. Of manners, "rough, surly," by 1690s. Related: Gruffness.
gruffly (adv.): 1700, from gruff + -ly (2).
grumble (v.): 1580s, "complain in a low voice;" 1590s, "make a low, rumbling sound," from Middle French grommeler "mutter between the teeth" or directly from Middle Dutch grommelen "murmur, mutter, grunt," from grommen "to rumble, growl." Imitative, or perhaps akin to grim (adj.). With excrescent -b- as in mumble. Related: Grumbled; grumbling.
grumble (n.): 1620s, from grumble (v.).
grump (n.): "ill-humor," 1727, in humps and grumps "surly remarks," later the grumps "a fit of ill-humor" (1844), then "a person in ill humor" (1900); perhaps an extended sense of grum "morose, surly," which probably is related to Danish grum "cruel;" or perhaps suggested by grumble, grunt, etc.
grumpy (adj.): 1778, from grump + -y (2). Related: Grumpily; grumpiness. Scottish variant grumphie also was used as a generic name for a pig.
grundel (n.): type of fish, c. 1500 (early 13c. as a surname), from grund "ground" (see ground (n.)) + -el (2). Compare Old English gryndle "herring;" grundling, type of fish, literally "groundling."