Etymology

This form, unique to WA, appears (as MED notes) to be a blend of ME grimly < OE grimlic 'fierce, cruel' and greme (adj.). The latter is usually derived from ON, largely on the basis of its late occurrence and dial distribution, since the form could equally be explained as an indigenous nominal derivation cognate with the ON n. or indeed formed on the related v.; for full discussion see greme (adj.).

PGmc Ancestor

*grama- or *gramjan-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

cp. gremi (n.) ‘wrath, anger’, gremja (v.) 'to anger, provoke'
(ONP cp. gremi (sb.), gremja (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

OE Cognate

cp. gram (adj.) ‘angry, wrathful; hostile, fierce; troublesome, distressing’, gremman, gremian (v.) ‘to anger, enrage, infuriate’

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CC1ac

Attestation

hapax legomenon

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 726*

Bibliography

MED grē̆mlī (adj.) , DOE grimlic; see further greme (adj.)