grey

• gray (often used in the US)

From Middle English grey, from Old English grǣġ, from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see, to glance”), Russian зреть (zretʹ, “to watch, to look at”) (archaic), Lithuanian žeriù (“to shine”)).

• enPR: grā, IPA^(key): /ɡɹeɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ
• Homophones: gray, greige

grey (comparative greyer, superlative greyest) (often spelled "gray" in the US)

1. Having a color somewhere between white and black, as the ash of an ember.
   • Isaac Newton

     These grey and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks.

2. Dreary, gloomy.
   • Daniel C. Gerould

     the era of gray, boring banality and stagnation

3. Having an indistinct, disputed or uncertain quality.
4. Relating to older people.

   the grey dollar, i.e. the purchasing power of the elderly

   • Ames

     grey experience

A mnemonic for remembering which spelling is used where: grey is the English spelling, while gray is the American spelling. However, grey is also found in American English.

grey (third-person singular simple present greys, present participle greying, simple past and past participle greyed) (often spelled "gray" in the US)

1. To become grey.

   My hair is beginning to grey.

2. To cause to become grey.
   • 1941, Emily Carr, Klee Wyck, Chapter 18,

     Now only a few hand-hewn cedar planks and roof beams remained, moss-grown and sagging—a few totem poles, greyed and split.

3. (demography, slang) To turn progressively older, in the context of the population of a geographic region.

   the greying of Europe

grey (plural greys) (often spelled "gray" in the US)

1. An achromatic colour intermediate between black and white.

   grey colour:  

2. An animal or thing of grey colour, such as a horse, badger, or salmon.
   • Sir Walter Scott

     Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day, / That costs thy life, my gallant grey.

   • 1833, Sporting Magazine (volume 6, page 400)

     Pioneer seemed now to have the game in his own hands; but the Captain, by taking two desperate leaps, cut off a corner, by which he regained the ground he had lost by the fall, and was up with the grey the remainder of the chase.

3. (ufology) an extraterrestrial humanoid with greyish skin, bulbous black eyes, and an enlarged head.

• -ergy, gyre

From Old Norse grey, from Proto-Germanic *grawją.

• IPA^(key): /kreiː/
• Rhymes: -eiː

grey n (genitive singular greys, nominative plural grey)

1. (archaic) bitch (female dog)
2. wretch, pitiful person

   Greyið mitt!

   You poor little thing!

   Greyið Jón

   Poor John

3. indefinite accusative singular of grey
4. indefinite nominative plural of grey
5. indefinite accusative plural of grey

• grei, gray, grai, greye, gry, græi, gro, gra, greȝe, greiȝe

From Old English grǣġ, from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz.

• IPA^(key): /ɡrɛi̯/
• Rhymes: -ɛi̯

grey (inflected form greye)

1. grey, dull, drab (in color)
2. glinting, glistening

• English: gray, grey
• Scots: gray
• Yola: gry

• “grei (adj. & n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-30.

grey

1. grey (colour)
2. Fur of the grey squirrel
3. grey clothes
4. grey textiles
5. An elderly man
6. A badger

• English: gray, grey
• Scots: gray
• Yola: gry

• “grei (adj. & n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-30.
• “grei (n.(2))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-30.
• “grei (n.(1))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-30.

grey m (plural greys)

1. Alternative form of gray (race of extraterrestrials)

From Latin grege, singular ablative of grex.

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡre̞j]

grey f (plural greyes)

1. (obsolete, poetic) flock, herd
2. (religion) flock (people served by a pastor, priest, etc., also all believers in a church or religion)

• (animals): rebaño
• (religion): rebaño, feligresía, congregación, iglesia

• gregario
• agregar

• oveja
• cabra

• (animals): ganado, hato, parvada, manada, jauría, cardumen, enjambre