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grizzle

English

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grizzle¹

  • /ˈɡɹɪzəl/
  • /ˈɡɹɪzəl/ US
  • /ˈɡɹɪzl̩/ US

Rhymes with -ɪzəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English grisel, gryselle, from Old French grisel, from gris (“grey”), from Frankish *grīs, from Proto-Germanic *grīsaz.

noun grizzles

  1. A dark grey colour.
  2. Grey hair.
  3. A grey wig.

adjective

  1. Of a grey colour.

verb grizzles · grizzling · grizzled

  1. To make or become grey, as with age. R. F. Burton hardship of the way such as would grizzle little children

grizzle²

  • /ˈɡɹɪzəl/
  • /ˈɡɹɪzəl/ US
  • /ˈɡɹɪzl̩/ US

Rhymes with -ɪzəl

Where it comes from

A West Country dialect term, perhaps from Old English grisan (“shudder”), which would make it a cognate of modern English grisly (not grizzly).

verb grizzles · grizzling · grizzled

  1. To cry continuously but not very loudly (said especially of young children).
  2. Australia, New Zealand, UK, slang To whinge or whine. [Wilfred:] In tears, eh? What a plague art thou grizzling for now?
  3. Australia, New Zealand, UK, slang To fuss or cry. New mothers frequently complain that their partner won't get up to change a wet nappy or comfort a grizzling baby.

Grizzle³

proper noun Grizzles

  1. A surname.

Translations

Every language

noun Grey hair, grey wig

العربيةشَيْب šayb

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Cite this
MLA

"grizzle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/grizzle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

grizzle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/grizzle

Chicago

"grizzle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/grizzle.

BibTeX
@misc{grizzle_2026,
  title = {grizzle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/grizzle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}