*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of grig

The word is often used in the phrase "merry as a grig". The word is of uncertain origin, though various theories have been suggested, such as a corruption of "merry as a cricket" or "merry as a Greek", as in William Shak

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A dwarf. · A cricket or grasshopper. · A small or young eel. · Specifically, the broad-nosed eel. See glut.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The word is often used in the phrase "merry as a grig". The word is of uncertain origin, though various theories have been suggested, such as a corruption of "merry as a cricket" or "merry as a Greek", as in William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida: "Then she's a merry Greek indeed." Johnson suggested that the word originally meant "anything below the natural size" (compare Swedish krik and Scots crick).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "krik"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish krik"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "crick"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots crick"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "krik",
      "krik#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "crick",
      "crick#Scots"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A dwarf.",
        "A cricket or grasshopper.",
        "A small or young eel.",
        "Specifically, the broad-nosed eel. See glut."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "6eecb552eddda5d3a82950087c7f185219ffa8827b6ce4c3d2f0c363cc6f0d69",
      "rawRecordSha256": "45cd705f7ed6379aa7894eabb2d67b52de36ece8d87da1d325479986c2d01bc5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 437866
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Heath or heather.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Welsh grug, Cornish grig.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentiongrugcy
  • Derivation mentiongrigkw
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cy",
        "3": "grug"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh grug"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kw",
        "3": "grig"
      },
      "expansion": "Cornish grig"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "grug",
      "grug#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "grig",
      "grig#Cornish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Heath or heather."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Shropshire",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "11966f39c3e486e460b3deace5a5c711191498e74d8e12cdf8cce30e0bebc2be",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6ddbb5ae5c1ee30898fc1dae61ac520f6f453a0b3a03e888469bae470e77976a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 437867
    }
  ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To irritate or annoy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Irish griog.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ga:griog",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Irish\", \"term\" : \"griog\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ga\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"grig\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"grig\">\nBorrowed from Irish griog."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ga:griog",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Irish griog."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "griog",
      "griog#Irish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To irritate or annoy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland",
        "US"
      ],
      "recordId": "8677d2839dff806a1bddcd3631963d416c0c9a953aae7cab328cc8210e1b46c1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0b37922bd6a2df5993e60ccb9a332dadbaabc46f2a6bc79baf3316d867639697",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 437868
    }
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for grig →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Z3JpZw