grievous

Alternative forms

• greuous (obsolete)
• grievious, grevious (less common / nonstandard outside dialects)

Etymology

From grieve, from the Middle English greven, from the Old French grever, from Latin gravō (“I burden”). Developed in the 13th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɹiː.vəs/
• Rhymes: -iːvəs
• (nonstandard outside dialects) IPA^(key): /ɡɹiː.viː.əs/ (often used in conjunction with the spelling grievious)

Adjective

grievous (comparative more grievous, superlative most grievous)

1. Causing grief, pain or sorrow.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

     As for the captain, his wounds were grievous indeed but not dangerous.

2. Serious, grave, dire or dangerous.

Anagrams

• grevious