Middle English word groof comes from Proto-Indo-European *gherbh-, Proto-Indo-European *gʰrābʰ-, and later Proto-Germanic *grabaną (To dig. To engrave, scratch.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *gherbh- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *gʰrābʰ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *grabaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To dig. To engrave, scratch. |
| *grōbō | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Hole, ditch, pit. |
| *grōf | Old English (ang) | |
| grov | Middle English (enm) |