greave

Wikipedia

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: grēv
• Homophone: grieve

Etymology 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.

Noun

greave (plural greaves)

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

Etymology 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.

Etymology 3

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

Alternative forms

• greeve

Noun

greave (plural greaves)

1. A piece of armour that protects the leg, especially the shin.

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

Translations

piece of armour that protects the leg, especially the shin

Armenian: զանգապան (hy) (zangapan) Old Irish: bróc f.

Portuguese: greva (pt) f. Russian: поножи (ru) pl.

Anagrams

• regave