An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/greis

by Friedrich Kluge

greis, adj., ‘grizzled, hoary, aged,’ from the equiv. MidHG. grîs, OHG. grîs (grîsil); comp. OSax. grîs, ‘hoary’; allied to Greis from MidHG. grîse, ‘old man.’ From this OG. word, unknown to the other Teut. dialects and obscure in its origin, are derived the Romance cognates, Ital. griso, grigio, Fr. gris, ‘grey’ (Ital. grigio, from Goth. *greisja-?. Comp. MidLat. griseus, ‘grey’).