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Dree

//dɹiː// adj, adv, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Alternative form of dreich. Northern-England, Scotland, alt-of, alternative

    "To be sure, t' winter's been a dree season, and thou'rt, maybe, in the right on't to make a late start."

Adverb
  1. 1
    Of the doing of a task: with concentration; laboriously. Northern-England, Scotland
  2. 2
    Chiefly of the falling of rain: without pause or stop; continuously, incessantly. Northern-England, Scotland
  3. 3
    Slowly, tediously. Northern-England, Scotland
Noun
  1. 1
    Grief; suffering; trouble. Northern-England, Northumbria, Scotland, archaic

    "Life is blood, shed and offered. / The eagle’s eye can face this dree. / To beasts of chase the lie is proffered: / Timor Mortis Conturbat Me."

Verb
  1. 1
    To bear or endure (something); to put up with, to suffer, to undergo. Northern-England, Scotland, transitive

    "Peace to the souls of the graveless dead! / 'Twas an awful doom to dree; / But fearful and wondrous are thy works, / O God! in the boundless sea!"

  2. 2
    To endure; to brook; also, to be able to do or continue. Northern-England, Scotland, intransitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

Probably partly borrowed from Scots dree, and partly derived from its etymon Middle English dreen, dreghen, dreogen, drien, from Old English drēogan, from Proto-West Germanic *dreugan, from Proto-Germanic *dreuganą (“to act; to work, (specifically) to do military service”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ- (“to hold fast”). Doublet of dreich, dright, and drighten. Cognates * Gothic 𐌳𐍂𐌹𐌿𐌲𐌰𐌽 (driugan, “to do military service”) * Icelandic drýgja (“to commit, connect, perpetrate, lengthen”) * Scots dree, drie (“to bear, endure, suffer, thole”)

Etymology 2

Probably partly: * derived from the verb (see etymology 1); and * borrowed from Scots dree, or derived from its etymon Middle English dri, drie, dregh, dreghe (“annoyance, trouble; grief; period of time”), possibly from Middle English dregh, dri, drie (“burdensome; depressing, dismal; large, tall; lasting, long; long-suffering, patient; tedious; of blows: hard, heavy; of the face: unchanging, unmoved; of a person: strong, valorous”), from Old English *drēog, *drēoȝ, dreoh (“earnest; fit; sober”), and then probably partly: ** shortened from Old English gedrēog (“calm, quiet; sober; fit, suitable”, adjective); and ** influenced by Old Norse drjúgr (“sufficient; excessive, very; great; strong”), from Proto-Germanic *dreugaz (see above). Doublet of dreich.

Etymology 3

From dreich (adjective).

Etymology 4

See dreich.

See also for "dree"

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