*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dryer

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

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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

Original entry ↗
noun

One who, or that which, dries; any device or facility employed to remove water or humidity, e.g. a desiccative · Short for clothes dryer, tumble dryer · Short for hair dryer · A catalyst used to promote the drying of paints and varnishes by oxidative crosslinking.

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

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiondriereenm
  • Word-formation componentdryen
  • Word-formation component-eren
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "driere"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English driere"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dry",
        "3": "-er",
        "id2": "agent noun",
        "pos2": "agent noun suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "dry + -er (agent noun suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "driere",
      "driere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dreyere",
      "dreyere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dry",
      "dry#English"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English:_agent_noun"
    ],
    [
      "agent noun",
      "agent noun"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One who, or that which, dries; any device or facility employed to remove water or humidity, e.g. a desiccative",
        "Short for clothes dryer, tumble dryer",
        "Short for hair dryer",
        "A catalyst used to promote the drying of paints and varnishes by oxidative crosslinking."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "rare"
      ],
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    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

comparative form of dry: more dry

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

Etymology tree English dry Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Germanic *-izô Proto-West Germanic *-iʀō Proto-Germanic *-ōzô Proto-West Germanic *-ōʀō Old English -ra Middle English -ere English -er English dryer From dry + -er (comparative suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "dry",
        "4": "-er<pos:comparative suffix><id:comparative>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish dry\nProto-Indo-European *-yōs\nProto-Germanic *-izô\nProto-West Germanic *-iʀō\nProto-Germanic *-ōzô\nProto-West Germanic *-ōʀō\nOld English -ra\nMiddle English -ere\nEnglish -er\nEnglish dryer\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-izô\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-iʀō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ōzô\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-ōʀō\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-ra\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ere\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-er\", \"lang\" : \"en\", \"pos\" : \"comparative suffix\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dryer\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dryer\">\nFrom dry + -er (comparative suffix)."
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish dry\nProto-Indo-European *-yōs\nProto-Germanic *-izô\nProto-West Germanic *-iʀō\nProto-Germanic *-ōzô\nProto-West Germanic *-ōʀō\nOld English -ra\nMiddle English -ere\nEnglish -er\nEnglish dryer\nFrom dry + -er (comparative suffix)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dry",
      "dry#English"
    ],
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      "*-yōs",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yōs"
    ],
    [
      "*-izô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-izô"
    ],
    [
      "*-iʀō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-iʀō"
    ],
    [
      "*-ōzô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ōzô"
    ],
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      "*-ōʀō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-ōʀō"
    ],
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      "-ra#Old_English:_comparative"
    ],
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    ],
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "comparative form of dry: more dry"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "comparative",
        "form-of"
      ],
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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 dryer →

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
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZHJ5ZXI