dreary
English
/ˈdɹɪɹi/, /ˈdɹɪəɹi/
adj
Definitions
- Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless.
- (obsolete) Grievous, dire; appalling.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English drery inherited from Old English drēoriġ (sad) inherited from Proto-Germanic *dreuzagaz (bloody) derived from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrews- (crumble, break, break off) affix from English drear.
Origin
English
drear
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- drear English
- drearihead English
- drearihood English
- drearily English
- dreariment English
- dreariness English
- drearing English
- drearisome English
- drearsome English
- Traurigkeit German
- tieftraurig German
- traurig German
- traurigerweise German
- treuren Dutch, Flemish
- treurig Dutch, Flemish
- θρυλίσσω Ancient Greek
- *dʰreus- Proto-Indo-European
- *dʰrews- Proto-Indo-European
- *dreuzagaz Proto-Germanic
- *dreuzaz Proto-Germanic
- dreorig Old English
- dreoriglice Old English
- dreorignes Old English
- drēor Old English
- drēoriġ Old English
- drerily Middle English
- drerimod Middle English
- drerinesse Middle English
- drery Middle English
- dreryhed Middle English
- drerynesse Middle English
- truerich Middle Dutch
- trūrag Old High German
- trūreg Old High German
- trūrec Middle High German