"D" Word Origins

droid

Origin

A shortening of "android," popularized worldwide by the Star Wars films.

droll

French

From French drôle ("comical"), which traces back through Middle Dutch to an old word for a stout, funny-looking little man or goblin.

drollery

Origin

From French drôlerie, from drôle + -erie; equivalent to droll + -ery.

drome

Origin

From French, from Ancient Greek δρόμος (drómos, “running”). Doublet of dromos.

dromedary

Origin

From Middle English dromedari, dromedarie (“dromedary; any camel”) [and other forms], from Old French dromedaire, from Late Latin dromedārius (“kind of camel”), from Latin *dromadārius, from dromas, dromadis (“dromedary”) + -ārius (suffix forming nouns denoting agents of use). Dromas and dromadis are derived from Ancient Greek δρομᾰ́ς (dromắs, “running; dromedary”), an ellipsis of δρομὰς κάμηλος (dromàs kámēlos, “running camel”), from δρόμος (drómos, “race, running; race course, track”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *drem- (“to run”).

drone

Old English

From Old English drān, an old Germanic word for the male bee — the "buzzing" and "aircraft" senses both grew from this root over time.

drongo

Origin

From Malagasy drongo.

drool

Origin

A worn-down form of "drivel," which originally meant much the same thing.

droop

Old Norse

From Old Norse drúpa ("to droop"), a distant relative of both "drip" and "drop."

drooping

Origin

From droop + -ing.

droopy

Old Norse

From an old Norse word meaning "drooping sadness," related to droop.

drop

Old English

From Old English dropian, related to an ancient root meaning "to hang, drip, or fall in drops" — the same source as "drip."

dropout

Origin

Deverbal from drop out.

dropping

Origin

By surface analysis, drop + -ing.

dross

Origin

From Middle English drosse, dros, from Old English drōs, from Proto-Germanic *drōhs (“dregs, sediment”). Also compare Old English drōsna, drōsne (“a ground, sediment, lees, dregs, dirt, ear wax”), from Proto-Germanic *drōhsnǭ, *drōhsnō (“dregs, sediment”), derived from *drōhs. Alternatively, this may be from *dragjō + *-snō (“yeast, sediment”; compare *dragjō (“yeast”)), as if from *drēcg + -sn. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrā́ks (“sediment, yeast”). Cognate with Scots dros, drose, drosse (“small particles, fragments, dross”), Middle Dutch droes (“dregs”), Dutch droesem (“dregs”), German Drusen (“lees, dregs”), Latin fracēs (“grounds or dregs of oil”). Related also to drast, dregs.

drought

Old English

From Old English drūgaþ, related to the word "dry" — a drought is, at its root, simply an extended dry spell.

droughty

Origin

From drought + -y.

drove

Old English

From Old English drāf, meaning a herding or driving of animals — closely related to the verb "drive."

drown

Old Norse

Of uncertain origin, though likely shaped by influence from Old Norse drukkna, a related word for the same idea.

drowse

Origin

The verb is either: * a back-formation from drowsy, which is attested earlier; or * possibly from Middle English *drousen (no known attestations), from Old English drūsan, drūsian (“to droop, sink; to become feeble, inactive, low, or slow, drowse”), from Proto-Germanic *drūsijaną (“to look down; mourn”) (possibly merged with *dreusaną (“to fall”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewHs- (“to break off; to fall down”). The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Danish drøse (“to be negligent; to slow down”) * Dutch drozen (“to doze; muse”) * German trauern (“to mourn, be sad”) * Gothic 𐌳𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽 (driusan, “to fall; to fall down”) * Norwegian døse (“to drowse”) * Old English drēosan (“to fall; to perish; to rush”) (whence Middle English dresen (“to fall down”)) * Swedish drösa (“to be slow”)

drowsy

Old English

Related to an old English word for drooping or becoming sluggish — the same idea behind feeling "heavy" with sleep.

drub

Origin

From Middle English *drob, drof, from Old English *drōb, drōf (“turbid; dreggy; dirty”), from Proto-West Germanic *drōbī, from Proto-Germanic *drōbuz (“turbid”).

drubbing

Origin

From drub + -ing.

drudge

Origin

From Middle English druggen, perhaps from Old English *dryċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *druggjan, from Proto-Germanic *drugjaną, a denominative built to a lost noun *drugjaz (preserved in Old English Dryċġhelm), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ-; compare Old English drēogan (“to do; to suffer”).

drudgery

Origin

Built from "drudge" (someone stuck doing dull, low-status work) plus the suffix "-ery," which names a trade or activity.

drug

Middle French

From Middle French drogue, originally referring to dried herbs and goods kept in barrels — the word for "dry" got mistakenly applied to what was stored inside.

druggist

French

From French droguiste, a dealer in drugs — ultimately tied to the same root as "drug."

drugstore

Origin

A compound of drug and store, describing a store built around selling medicines.

druid

Latin

Traces back through Latin Druidae to a Celtic word possibly meaning "oak-knower" or "one of great wisdom."

druidcraft

Origin

From druid + -craft.

drum

Germanic

Possibly a shortened form of an old Dutch word for drumbeat, or borrowed directly from a related Germanic word for the instrument.

drumbeat

Origin

A straightforward compound of drum and beat.

drumbeater

Origin

From drum + beater.

drumble

Origin

See drumly.

drummer

Origin

Built from drum plus the agent suffix -er, meaning "one who does this."

drumroll

Origin

A compound of drum and roll, describing the rolling sound made by rapid drumbeats.

drumstick

Origin

A compound of drum and stick, first describing the instrument accessory before being applied to the similarly shaped chicken leg.

drunk

Old English

The past participle of "drink," from Old English druncen — the same root behind "drunken."

drunkard

Origin

Built from drunk plus the suffix -ard, which often marks a person defined by a negative habit (compare "coward," "braggart").

drunken

Old English

From Old English druncen, the past participle of drincan ("to drink") — literally "having drunk".

drunkenly

Origin

From drunken + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

drunkenness

Origin

From drunken + the noun-forming suffix -ness.

Drury

Old French

From Old French druerie ("love, friendship"), from dru ("friend, lover").

Drusilla

Latin

Latin Drūsilla, a feminine diminutive form of the cognomen Drūsus.

dry

Old English

From Old English drȳge, related to Old Norse and German words meaning "dry" or "hard" — going back to a very old root meaning "to become firm or solid".

Dryden

Old English

From Old English drȳġe ("dry") + denu ("valley").

Dryer

Middle English

From Middle English driere, dreyere (“one who dries”), equivalent to dry + -er (agent noun suffix).

drying

Origin

From dry + the suffix -ing.