# gre

/ɡɹˈiː/ (UK) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/gre
Updated: 2026-05-18

## Definition

a very old word for the color green. You might see it in very old books or poems.

For teachers: a variant spelling of the color green, used primarily in early modern English and archaic literature.

## Examples

- The old manuscript describes the grass as gre.
- While modern readers would write 'green', the poet used 'gre' to maintain the traditional rhyme scheme of the ballad.
- The scribe's hand was so faded that the word 'gre' appeared almost illegible, yet it was clear enough to identify the color of the forest described in the first stanza.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.