*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of drug

From Middle English drogge (“medicine”), from Middle French drogue, drocque (“tincture, pharmaceutical product”) (c. 1462), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German droge, as in droge vate (“dry vats, dry barrels”), mistak

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To administer intoxicating drugs to, generally without the recipient's knowledge or consent. · To add intoxicating drugs to with the intention of drugging someone. · To prescribe or administer drugs or medicines. · To use intoxicating drugs.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English drogge (“medicine”), from Middle French drogue, drocque (“tincture, pharmaceutical product”) (c. 1462), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German droge, as in droge vate (“dry vats, dry barrels”), mistaking droge for the contents, which were usually dried herbs, plants or wares. Droge comes from Middle Dutch drōghe (“dry”), from Old Dutch drōgi (“dry”), from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (“dry, hard”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerǵʰ- (“to strengthen; become hard or solid”), from *dʰer- (“to hold, hold fast, support”). Displaced native Old English lybb (“drug, medicine”). Cognate with English dry, Dutch droog (“dry”), German trocken (“dry”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentiondroggeenm · medicine
  • Derivation mentiondroguefrm
  • Derivation mentiondrogegml
  • Derivation mentiondroghedum · dry
  • Derivation mentiondrōgiodt · dry
  • Derivation mention*draugizgem-pro · dry, hard
  • Derivation mention*dʰerǵʰ-ine-pro · to strengthen; become hard or solid
  • Cognate mentiondryen
  • Cognate mentiondroognl · dry
  • Cognate mentiontrockende · dry
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "expansion": "Middle English drogge (“medicine”)"
    },
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    },
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    },
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    },
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    }
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      "drogue",
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      "drocque",
      "drocque#Middle_French"
    ],
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      "droge",
      "droge#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
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      "droge",
      "droge#Middle_Dutch"
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      "vate",
      "vate#Middle_Dutch"
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      "droge",
      "droge#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
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      "drōghe",
      "droghe#Middle_Dutch"
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      "drogi#Old_Dutch"
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      "*draugiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/draugiz"
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰer-"
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      "dry",
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      "trocken",
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        "To administer intoxicating drugs to, generally without the recipient's knowledge or consent.",
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, or modify a chemical process in the body for a specific purpose. · A psychoactive substance, especially one which is illegal and addictive, ingested for recreational use, such as cocaine. · Anything, such as a substance, emotion, or action, to which one is addicted. · Any commodity that lies on hand, or is not salable; an article of slow sale, or in no demand.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English drogge (“medicine”), from Middle French drogue, drocque (“tincture, pharmaceutical product”) (c. 1462), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German droge, as in droge vate (“dry vats, dry barrels”), mistaking droge for the contents, which were usually dried herbs, plants or wares. Droge comes from Middle Dutch drōghe (“dry”), from Old Dutch drōgi (“dry”), from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (“dry, hard”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerǵʰ- (“to strengthen; become hard or solid”), from *dʰer- (“to hold, hold fast, support”). Displaced native Old English lybb (“drug, medicine”). Cognate with English dry, Dutch droog (“dry”), German trocken (“dry”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentiondroggeenm · medicine
  • Derivation mentiondroguefrm
  • Derivation mentiondrogegml
  • Derivation mentiondroghedum · dry
  • Derivation mentiondrōgiodt · dry
  • Derivation mention*draugizgem-pro · dry, hard
  • Derivation mention*dʰerǵʰ-ine-pro · to strengthen; become hard or solid
  • Cognate mentiondryen
  • Cognate mentiondroognl · dry
  • Cognate mentiontrockende · dry

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "lang_code": "pdt",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

simple past and past participle of drag

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Germanic ablaut formation. If old, a doublet of drew, from Middle English drug, drog, drugh, drogh, from Old English drōg, from Proto-Germanic *drōg; compare Dutch droeg, German trug, Swedish drog. If secondary, probably formed by analogy with dug.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
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    },
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      "args": {
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for drug →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-ZHJ1Zw