Grim: The Evolution Of The Word Grim Since The Nineteenth Century

Grim Since the twelfth century, the word grim has been used to describe things that are depressing or worrying to consider. Grim originates from the Old Norse word grimmr, meaning stern, horrible, or dire and the Swedish word grym, meaning fierce or furious. Though originally used to mean fierce, cruel, savage; severe, dire, or painful, the meaning of grim has since evolved to describe all things gruesome and macabre. While the word literally means depressing or worrying, grim also often connotes death. The evolution of the word is largely due to the idea of the grim reaper, which was established by 1847 and refers to a personification of death. Although the term uses grim with its original definition (a cruel figure with a scythe who takes people to their deaths), the association of grim with the grim reaper led to a word with a sinister feeling. …show more content…
It is no coincidence that these time periods align with World Wars I and II; wartime is the most sensible time to use the word grim. Conditions align with both the connotation and the denotation of grim. There are both people worried about their loved ones and frequent death, which call for a word to describe the overall morale - grim. It is a common misconception to believe that the word grim originated from the Brothers Grimm, the authors of coincidentally grim fairy tales that include a lot of death and gruesome endings. However, the surname Grimm and the word grim share similar roots and both originally mean