grieve

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• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ɡɹiːv/
• Rhymes: -iːv

From Middle English greven, from Old French grever (“to burden”), from Latin gravō, gravāre, from adjective gravis (“grave”).

For the meaning development compare Russian тяготи́ть (tjagotítʹ, “to be a burden (on), to oppress”), Russian тужи́ть (tužítʹ, “to experience grief”), related to тяжёлый (tjažólyj, “heavy, grave”), тя́жкий (tjážkij).

grieve (third-person singular simple present grieves, present participle grieving, simple past and past participle grieved)

2. (transitive) To cause sorrow or distress to.

   Synonyms: sadden, upset; see also Thesaurus:sadden

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ephesian 4:30–passage-Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.:
   • 1782, William Cowper, “On the Receipt of my Mother’s Picture”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC:

     Thy maidens griev'd themselves at my concern.

3. (transitive) To feel very sad about; to mourn; to sorrow for.

   Synonyms: bewail, lament; see also Thesaurus:lament

   to grieve one's fate

4. (intransitive) To experience grief.

   Synonyms: besorrow, regret; see also Thesaurus:be sad

5. (transitive, archaic) To harm.

   Synonyms: injure, wound; see also Thesaurus:harm

6. (transitive) To submit or file a grievance (about).
   • 2009, D'Amico, Rob (editor), Texas Teacher, published by Texas AFT (affiliate of American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO); "Austin classified employees gain due process rights", April 2009, p14:

     Even if the executive director rules against the employee on appeal, the employee can still grieve the termination to the superintendent followed by an appeal to the [...] Board of Trustees.

• grief
• grievance
• grievous

From Middle English greve, greyve, grave, grafe, from Old Norse greifi, from Middle Low German grēve, grâve, related to Old English grœfa, groefa, variants of Old English ġerēfa (“steward, reeve”). More at reeve.

grieve (plural grieves)

1. (obsolete) A governor of a town or province.
2. (chiefly Scotland) A manager or steward, e.g. of a farm.
   • 1559-1566, John Knox, History of the Reformation in Scotland

     [A prince] is nothing but a servant, overseer, or grieve, and not the head, which is a title belonging only to Christ.

   • 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], chapter VII, in Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC, page 110:

     [T]heir children were horsewhipped by the grieve when found trespassing; […]

• grieveship

• regive

grieve

1. third-person singular present indicative of grever

From Early Medieval Latin grevem, alteration of Latin gravem.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾjeβe/

grieve m (plural grieves)

1. hard, difficult
   • c. 1250, Alfonso X, Lapidario, f. 24v:

     Et los filoſofos precian la mucho por que ella a tal uertud que aquel que la trae conſigo aguzal mucho el entendimiento ⁊ el engenno, aſſi que ninguna coſa noles grieue de entender nin de aprender.

     And philosophers prize it greatly because its virtue is such that, of he who has it with him, it sharpens their understanding and ingenuity, so that nothing is difficult for them to understand or learn.