Meaning

noun rock fragments and pebbles

verb cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations

verb cover with gravel

originFrom Middle English gravel, grauel, from Old French gravele, diminutive of grave (“gravel, seashore”), from Medieval Latin grava, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *grāwā (“gravel, pebbles”) (compare Breton groa, Cornish grow, Welsh gro), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰroh₁weh₂, from *gʰreh₁w- (“to grind”). Compare also Old English græfa (“coal”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0