An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Grab

by Friedrich Kluge

Grab, neuter, from the equivalent Middle High German grap(b), Old High German grab, neuter, ‘grave’; like Graben; masculine, ‘ditch, trench, sewer,’ from the equivalent Middle High German grabe, Old High German grabo, masculine; allied to Modern High German graben, ‘to dig, engrave,’ from the equiv: Middle High German graben, Old High German graban, strong verb; a common Teutonic strong verb, corresponding to Gothic graban, Anglo-Saxon grafan, English to grave, Dutch graven (graf, ‘grave’); from a common Teutonic root grab (pre-Teutonic ghrabh), which is primitively allied to Old Slovenian grebą, ‘I dig, row,’ and grobŭ, ‘grave’; Greek γράφω, ‘I scratch, write,’ has probably no connection with the word, Compare Griffel, Grube, Gruft, grübeln.