The term “greyhound” has roots in Old English, with various spellings such as grighund, greihund, greahund, grehound, grihond, and grayhound before greyhound became standardized in the sixteenth century. Interestingly, the color grey has no connection to the word’s origin. Folk etymology led to the assumption that greyhounds were named after their color, but the word actually comes from Old Norse “grøy,” meaning “bitch,” and Old English “hund,” meaning “hound” with roots in Proto-Indo-European. The Greyhound transportation company got its name when the founder saw a bus reflection resembling a greyhound dog in a store window.
