gravy (English)
Where does "gravy" come from?
The English word 'gravy' comes from Middle English 'gravey'[1], which likely developed from 'greaves' meaning the sediment of melted tallow, or from Old French 'grave', a claimed misspelling of 'grané' meaning stew or spice[1]. Alternatively, Old French 'grave' traces back to Medieval Latin 'grava' and ultimately to Proto-Celtic '*grāwā'[3], rooted in Proto-Indo-European '*gʰroh₁weh₂'[4]. Over time, the meaning shifted from these early root forms to describe a thick or savoury sauce made from meat juices and stock.
Open questions
- The derivation from greaves or from a misspelling of grané in Old French is uncertain. [1]
Full etymology tree
- gravy (English), 'A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.'
- derived greavies (English)
- derived greaves (English), 'The unmeltable residue left after animal fat has been rendered.'
- derived grave (Old French), 'gravel'
- derived grané (Old French)
- derived grain (Old French), 'grain (edible part of a cereal plant)'
- inherited granum (Latin), 'grain, seed, small kernel'
- derived grain (Old French), 'grain (edible part of a cereal plant)'
- derived grané (Old French)
- derived greavies (English)
Ancestors
- gravey (Middle English)
Descendants and derived words
- baby gravy (English)
- biscuits and gravy (English)
- bulldog gravy (English)
- bull gravy (English)
- country gravy (English)
- good gravy (English)
- gravy boat (English)
- gravy-eyed (English)
- gravyless (English)
- gravylike (English)
- Gravy SEAL (English)
- gravy train (English)
Sources
- gravy (English) - Wiktionary
- gravey (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- grave (Old French) - Wiktionary
- grāwā (Proto-Celtic) - Wiktionary
- greaves (English) - Wiktionary
- grain (Old French) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris