grin

grin
\ \ [OE] Modern English grin and groan are scarcely semantic neighbours, but a possible common ancestor may provide the link: prehistoric Indo-European *ghrei-, which seems to have meant something like ‘be open’. It has been suggested as the source of a range of verbs which started off denoting simply ‘open the mouth’, but have since differentiated along the lines ‘make noise’ and ‘grimace’. Grin has taken the latter course, but close relatives, such as Old High German grennanmutter’ and Old Norse grenjahowl’, show that the parting of the semantic ways was not so distant in time. Old English grennian actually meant ‘draw back the lips and bare the teeth in pain or anger’. Traces of this survive in such distinctly unfunny expressions as ‘grinning skull’, but the modern sense ‘draw back the lips in amusement’ did not begin to emerge until the 15th century. Groan [OE], on the other hand, is firmly in the ‘make noise’ camp.
\ \ Cf.GROAN

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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Synonyms:
(in laughing expressing scorn, etc.)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Grin — may refer to: * A facial expression: see Smile * Alexander Grin, (1880 1932) a Russian novelist * GRIN (novel) , a novel by Hungarian writer Béla Kasztovszky * Grin (album) , an album by the thrash metal band Coroner * Grin (band), a band formed… …   Wikipedia

  • Grin — als Vorname: Grin (11. Jahrhundert), latinisiert Grinus, Vater des Abotriten Fürsten Kruto. Grin als Familienname: Alexander Grin (1880–1932), russischer Schriftsteller François Grin (* 1959), Schweizer Wirtschaftswissenschaftler Jean Pierre Grin …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • GRIN (A.) — GRIN ALEXANDRE STEPANOVITCH GRINEVSKI dit (1880 1932) Personnage extraordinaire des lettres russes, Alexandre Grin se forge une destinée personnelle aux antipodes de la biographie traditionnelle des écrivains issus de l’intelligentsia. Échappé au …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Grin — Grin, n. [AS. grin.] A snare; a gin. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Like a bird that hasteth to his grin. Remedy of Love. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Grin — Grin, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Grinned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Grinning}.] [OE. grinnen, grennen, AS. grennian, Sw. grina; akin to D. grijnen, G. greinen, OHG. grinan, Dan. grine. [root]35. Cf. {Groan}.] 1. To show the teeth, as a dog; to snarl. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Grin — Grin, n. The act of closing the teeth and showing them, or of withdrawing the lips and showing the teeth; a hard, forced, or sneering smile. I.Watts. [1913 Webster] He showed twenty teeth at a grin. Addison. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • GRIN — GRIN: GRIN  частная компания, разработчик компьютерных игр и игрового движка «Diesel». Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)  информационный проект, предоставляющий генетическую и другую информацию о живых организмах …   Википедия

  • grin — sb., et, grin, ene; være til grin …   Dansk ordbog

  • grin — ► VERB (grinned, grinning) 1) smile broadly. 2) grimace grotesquely in a way that reveals the teeth. ► NOUN ▪ a smile or grimace produced by grinning. ● grin and bear it Cf. ↑grin and bear it …   English terms dictionary

  • grin — [grin] vi. grinned, grinning [ME grennen < OE grennian, to gnash or bare the teeth, akin to OHG grennan, to mutter, Ger greinen, to weep] 1. to smile broadly as in amusement or pleasure, or, sometimes, in embarrassment 2. to draw back the lips …   English World dictionary

  • Grin — Grin, v. t. To express by grinning. [1913 Webster] Grinned horrible a ghastly smile. Milton …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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