• (RP, America) IPA: /ɡɹiːv/

From Middle English greven, from Old French grever, from Latin gravo, from adjective gravis ("grave").

grieve (grieves, present participle grieving; simple past and past participle grieved)

1. (transitive) To cause sorrow or distress to.
   • 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.

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

   to grieve one's fate

3. (intransitive) To experience grief.
4. (transitive, archaic) To harm.
5. (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

• French: attrister, chagriner
• Italian: affliggere
• Portuguese: afligir
• Russian: огорча́ть
• Spanish: contristar

• French: avoir du chagrin
• Italian: affliggersi
• Portuguese: sofrer por
• Russian: горева́ть
• Spanish: contristarse

• French: affliger
• German: trauern
• Russian: горева́ть
• Spanish: contristarse, penarse

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. 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.
   • 1815 February 23, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC ↗:

     Their children were horsewhipped by the grieve.

1. Surname.