grey
|grey|
/ɡreɪ/
colour between black and white; dull/intermediate
Etymology
'grey' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'grǣg', which comes from Proto-Germanic '*grēwaz' meaning 'grey'.
'grey' changed from Old English 'grǣg' into Middle English 'grey' (also attested as 'gray') and eventually became the modern English word 'grey/gray'.
Initially, it meant 'the colour between black and white', and over time it retained that basic meaning while expanding figuratively to describe dullness, age (as in hair), and ambiguous situations ('grey area').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the colour grey; any shade of grey.
The walls were painted a pale grey.
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Noun 2
an ambiguous or intermediate area where distinctions are not clear (a 'grey area').
The legality of that method is a grey area.
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Adjective 1
of the color produced by mixing black and white; a neutral tone between black and white.
She wore a grey coat to the meeting.
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Adjective 2
having hair that is white or partly white because of age; grizzled.
He had grey hair at the temples.
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Last updated: 2025/12/13 10:34