gree

See also: gréé and grée

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɹiː/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English gre, from Old French gré, from Latin gradum (“step”). Compare degree. Doublet of grade.

Noun

gree (plural grees)

1. (obsolete) One of a flight of steps.
   • 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter 5, in Dracula‎^[1]:

     "My grand-daughter doesn't like to be kept waitin' when the tea is ready, for it takes me time to crammle aboon the grees, for there be a many of 'em, and miss, I lack belly-timber sairly by the clock."

2. (obsolete) A stage in a process; a degree of rank or station.
   • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Iuly. Aegloga Septima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], OCLC 606515406; republished as The Shepheardes Calender […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], 1586, OCLC 837880809:

     He is a shepherd great in gree.

3. (now Scotland) Pre-eminence; victory or superiority in combat (hence also, the prize for winning a combat).
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter lxxj, in Le Morte Darthur, book X

     And thenne the kynge lete blowe to lodgynge / and by cause sir Palomydes beganne fyrste / and neuer he went nor rode oute of the feld to repose / but euer was doynge merueyllously wel outher on foote or on horsbak / and lengest durynge Kynge Arthur and alle the kynges gaf sir Palomydes the honour and the gree as for that daye

4. (geometry, obsolete) A degree.

Etymology 2

From (pre-reform) Scottish Gaelic gré, from Old Scottish Gaelic gray.

Noun

gree (plural grees)

1. (now Scotland) Pre-eminence; victory or superiority in combat (hence also, the prize for winning a combat).
   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book X:

     bycause Sir Palomydes beganne fyrste, and never he wente nor rode oute of the fylde to repose hym, but ever he was doynge on horsebak othir on foote, and lengest durynge, Kynge Arthure and all the kynges gaff Sir Palomydes the honoure and the gre as for that day.

Etymology 3

From Middle English gre, from Old French gré (“pleasure, goodwill”), from Latin gratum, a noun use of the neuter of gratus (“pleasing”).

Noun

gree (plural grees)

1. (archaic) Pleasure, goodwill, satisfaction.
   • 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, OCLC 940138160:

     Accept in gree, my lord, the words I spoke.

   • 1885, Sir Richard Francis Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume 1:

     When it was the Second Night, said Dunyazad to her sister Shahrazad, "O my sister, finish for us that story of the Merchant and the Jinni;" and she answered "With joy and goodly gree, if the King permit me."

Etymology 4

From Middle English green (“to agree”), from Old French greer, from gré (hence Etymology 3).

Verb

gree (third-person singular simple present grees, present participle greeing, simple past and past participle greed)

1. (obsolete) To agree.
   • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii], page 168:

     Gob. […] how dooſt thou and thy Maſter agree, I haue brought him a preſent; how gree you now?

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Fuller to this entry?)

Anagrams

• Eger, Geer, Gere, eger, egre, geer

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French gré (“step”).

Noun

gree

1. Alternative form of gre (“step, degree”)

Etymology 2

From Old French gré (“goodwill”).

Noun

gree

1. Alternative form of gre (“goodwill, agreement”)

Etymology 3

From Old French greer.

Verb

gree

1. Alternative form of green

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Scots

Verb

gree (third-person singular present grees, present participle greein, past greet, past participle greet)

1. (Doric) to agree (make an agreement)
2. to agree (settle differences)

References

• “gree” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.