From Latin 'gravāre' (to weigh down), from 'gravis' (heavy) — kin to 'gravity' and Sanskrit 'guru,' all united by weight.
Intense sorrow, especially caused by someone's death; deep mental anguish or suffering.
From Old French grief (hardship, suffering, wrong, injustice), from grever (to burden, to oppress), from Latin gravāre (to weigh down, to burden), from gravis (heavy, weighty, serious), from PIE *gʷreh₂- (heavy). The Proto-Indo-European root *gʷreh₂- meant physically heavy, and its descendants preserve a remarkably consistent metaphor: heaviness as sorrow, burden as suffering. Latin gravis meant both physically heavy and figuratively serious or severe. Through gravāre (to make heavy, to burden), Vulgar Latin produced Old French grever (to harm, to burden), whence English grieve. The noun
The Sanskrit word 'guru' (teacher, weighty person) shares the same PIE root *gʷreh₂- as 'grief' — both descend from the concept of heaviness. A guru is a 'heavy' or 'weighty' person in the sense of being important and substantial, while grief is the emotional heaviness of sorrow. Weight, wisdom, and sorrow are etymologically intertwined.