grub / grəb/ • n. 1. the larva of an insect, esp. a beetle. ∎  a maggot or small caterpillar.2. inf. food: a popular bar serving excellent grub.• v. (grubbed, grub·bing) [intr.] 1. dig or poke superficially at the earth; dig shallowly in soil: the damage done to pastures by badgers grubbing for worms. ∎  [tr.] remove (something) from the earth by digging it up: all the vines are grubbed up and the land left fallow for a few years. ∎  [tr.] clear (the ground) of roots and stumps: [as n.] (grubbing) construction operations including clearing and grubbing. 2. search for something in a clumsy and unmethodical manner; rummage: I began grubbing about in the wastepaper basket to find the envelope. ∎  do demeaning or humiliating work in order to achieve something: she has achieved material independence without having to grub for it. ∎  [tr.] achieve or acquire (something) in such a way: they were grubbing a living from garbage pails.DERIVATIVES: grub·ber n.

grub2 dig (on the surface) XIII; labour ploddingly XVIII. perh. to be referred to an OE. *grybban :- *grubbjan, f. Gmc. *ʒruð-, rel. to *ʒrað- GRAVE1, GRAVE2 (cf. OHG. grubilōn dig, search closely, MDu. grobben scrape together, Du. grobbelen root out).
Hence grubber XIV; survives esp. in money-grubber.

grub1 †dwarfish fellow XIV; insect larva XV; (sl.) food (as grubs are for birds) XVII. Occurs as a surname (Grubbe) XIII, prob. orig. as a nickname, and presumably f. next, but the sense-development is not clear.