Graunt

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of a grant, meaning something formally given or bestowed as a gift or award ; to permit or formally bestow something on someone
2. An old form of grant, referring to a gift or concession that is formally bestowed ; the act of allowing or conferring something on another person
3. Something formally conferred, such as a gift or award, in older English ; to consent to or confer a privilege or favor upon someone

Etymology: "Graunt" is simply an archaic spelling of "grant", so the story is the story of "grant" itself. Its ancestry runs through Old French, where the verb "granter" meant "to promise, assure, guarantee, confirm, ratify." That sense is striking for a word now associated with giving something away: the core idea is a solemn assurance, not a gift. The most surprising part is that the French verb came from two sources that merged. One was "garantir" ("to guarantee, vouch for"), which is also the ancestor of English "guarantee." The other was an older verb "cranter" or "creanter," meaning "to allow, permit," which traces back to a presumed Medieval Latin "credentare," from Latin "credere" ("to believe, trust"). So "grant" and "credit" share a distant root in the idea of trusting someone. In Middle English the word appeared as "granten" and its variants, borrowed from Anglo-Norman "granter." Over time the sense of formally assuring something narrowed toward conferring it, which is why "grant" now usually means handing over a permission, a sum of money, or a favour.