grizzle

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   chiefly British, informal and disapproving: to cry fretfully or complain continually

   The tired child began to grizzle as the journey dragged on.

2. 2
   verb

   rare or literary: to make or become gray, especially with age

   Years of hardship can grizzle a person's hair before its time.

The gray sense comes from Middle English grisel, from Old French grisel, a diminutive of gris 'gray.' The chiefly British whining verb is a separate dialect word of uncertain origin, perhaps connected with an older word for shuddering or fretful crying.

Topics

External links

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