Searchable Lemmata: græg (OE), grey (AN), grei (ME), gra (W), gray (OScots), grey (MdE), gray (MdE), gro (MdE).
Alternate Forms: gra, græi, græy, grai, grei, greȜe, greiȜe, gro.
1(adj.)
Textile;
colour term applied to garments and other objects; ash-coloured, lead-coloured; various shades between white and black.(circa 1000 still in current use)
3. [230] ... torquis: hard ... glauci: grey ... [236] ... capitium: chevezal, chevezeil, cheveceil, chevezail, cheveçail, cheveçal
Gloss.
[AND TLL (i 230-236) ante 1300]
4. [15.162] ... Charite ... As proude of a peny as of a pounde of gold, And is as gladde of a goune of a graye russet As of a tunicle of tarse [C: a cote of cammoka] or of trye scarlet ... [15.182] ... Þanne wil he [Charity] some tyme Labory in a lauendrye wel þe lengthe of a myle ... And bouken hem at his brest, and beten hem clene, And ... wasshen hem after
Poetic, Vision.
[MED PPl.B ((LdMisc 581) 15.162-182) circa 1400]
5. Beggers with these hodes wide ... And greye clothis not full clene, But fretted full of tatarwagges, And highe shoos knopped with dagges That frouncen lyke a quaile pipe
Poetic, Romance.
[MED RRose ((Htrn 409) 7256-9) ante 1425]
6. [4.226] ... For xxiiii yerdes of brod wythtys for gowns, xxvii s. viii d. ... [4.230] ... To John Dewe for grey lynen cloth and sylk frenge for the hers, vi l. xvi s. ii d. ... A cope called a frogge of worsted for the Prior of Bromholm
[MED Paston (4.226-230) 1466]
Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
2(n.)
Textile;
cloth of a grey colour or a grey-coloured garment (perhaps undyed cloth as the term 'grey cloth' is used in Modern English).(circa 1225 still in current use)
2. Of smal trussys of clothys, tunnes of woide, barell of syndres, and all other thynges oute takyn wynes, it is ordeyned that other power, porturys or bererys, moun travaylyn among these thynges ... Thanne be it takyn of the burgeys for oon meole quyte but ij d., and of on grey ij d
Legal.
[MED Ipswich Domesday(2) ((Add 25011) 181) circa 1436]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
3(n.)
Raw Material;
grey fur, especially that from the back of the north European red squirrel in winter; also, badger fur. Cf. gro, grover; also gris. Also cf. ruskin (for the combination 'ruskin grey').(circa 1175 - circa 1700 ?)
2. la dit Dame Johane paiera a dit Robert pur les choses queux ensuount: ... Item, pur j filete de parele (=same) ové la fesure du mesme viijs ... Item, pur .j. furrure de gray pur mesme la goune ové la perfulyng du mesme et la lynure del chaperon, .xxij. s.
Legal.
[AND Calverley (204) 1307/1398]
3. [15.215] ... For I haue seyn hym in sylke and somme tyme in russet, Bothe in grey and in grys, and in gulte herneys ...
[15.223] ... He walketh, Ycalled and ycrimiled [vrr. I-crymeled, y-crymyled, ycrymaylid, crymailed] and his crowne shaue
Poetic, Vision.
[MED PPl.B ((LdMisc 581) 15.215-223) circa 1400]
Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
4(adj.)
Law/Custom;
relating to certain religious persons, especially the Franciscan order of friars, who wore undyed garments.(circa 1200 still in current use)
1. [70] ... grisorum monachorum: de grey moynis ... [73] ... cuculam: coule, cuuil, quolun ... floccis laneis: bort de lane / flocsounz de leyne ... [76] ... polentrudium: boletel, bolter, buletel
Gloss.
[AND TLL (ii 73-76) ante 1300]
Sex: Male Use: Ecclesiastical Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
Definite, ***OE. Some influence on the subsequent development of gris (from Old French).
OED has the headword gro reflecting ME forms such as gra, gro under sense 3 (grey fur, probably of the red squirrel; see grover). OED notes that this ME form is "Properly the neuter of an adj., < Old Norse grá-r" i.e. 'grey', though it is just possible that some forms are actually short for "grover" (< Fr. gros vair) or were associated with it by folk etymology. Ultimately these gro/gra forms were assimilated to or displaced by native ME grei, etc.
WF:
Etym Cog:
References:
