From Proto-Germanic*grabą, *grabō(“grave, trench, ditch”), from Proto-Indo-European*gʰrābʰ-(“to dig, scratch, scrape”). Cognate with Old Frisian gref (West Frisian grêf), Old Saxon graf (Low German Graf, Graff), Old Dutch graf (Dutch graf), Old High German grap (German Grab), Old Norse grǫf (Danish grav, Icelandic gröf), Gothic graba(graba).