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Examples of grits in a Sentence
Word History
late Old English grutta "bran, coarse meal," going back to Old English grytt "finely ground flour," going back to Germanic grutjō- or grutja- (whence also Middle Dutch gorte "groats, grits" [with metathesis], Middle Low German grütte, Old High German gruzzi), noun derivative from zero-grade of *greutan- "to grind, crush" — more at grit entry 1
Note: The history of this word prior to its appearance in the plural form grits in the seventeenth century is somewhat obscure. Slightly earlier than grits in printed works are greates (1594) and greyts (1597), which appear to have taken their form from descendants of Old English grēot "grit, gravel" (see grit entry 1), and a metathetic form gurts. Middle English evidence is lacking following the transitional Old English/Middle English forms grutta (Medicina de Quadrupedibus) and gruta (from a late copy of Ælfric's Old English-Latin glossary in the Worcester Fragments), with <u> presumably for /y/.
1579, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing grits
Dictionary Entries Near grits
Cite this Entry
“Grits.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grits. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
grits
plural nounMore from Merriam-Webster on grits
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for grits
Nglish: Translation of grits for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of grits for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grits
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