Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *girH-, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- ‎(“to welcome, greet, praise”). Cognates include Sanskrit गृणाति ‎(gṛṇā́ti, “to praise”), Latin grātus ‎(“welcome”), Old Church Slavonic жрьти ‎(žrĭti, “to sacrifice”) and Lithuanian gìrti ‎(“to praise”).