*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of drake

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂énh₂ts Proto-Germanic *anadz Proto-West Germanic *anad Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs Proto-Germanic *rekô Proto-West Germanic *rekō

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

A male duck (bird).

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂énh₂ts Proto-Germanic *anadz Proto-West Germanic *anad Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs Proto-Germanic *rekô Proto-West Germanic *rekō Proto-West Germanic *anadrekō Old English *draca? ▲ Proto-West Germanic *anadrekō Old Saxon *anadrako Middle Low German drâkebor.? Middle English drake English drake From Middle English drake (“male duck, drake”), either from Old English *draca, *andraca (“male duck, drake”) or from Middle Low German drâke, andrâke, from Proto-West Germanic *anadrekō (“drake”, literally “duck leader”). Cognate with Low German drake (“drake”), Dutch draak (“drake”), German Enterich (“drake”). More at annet.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*h₃reǵ-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentiondrakeenm · male duck, drake
  • Derivation mentiondrâkegml
  • Derivation mention*anadrekōgmw-pro · drake
  • Cognate mentiondrakends · drake
  • Cognate mentiondraaknl · drake
  • Cognate mentionEnterichde · drake
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₃reǵ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:drake<id:duck>",
        "id": "duck",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂énh₂ts\nProto-Germanic *anadz\nProto-West Germanic *anad\nProto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-\nProto-Indo-European *-s\nProto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs\nProto-Germanic *rekô\nProto-West Germanic *rekō\nProto-West Germanic *anadrekō\nOld English *draca?\n▲\nProto-West Germanic *anadrekō\nOld Saxon *anadrako\nMiddle Low German drâkebor.?\nMiddle English drake\nEnglish drake\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*anadz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*anad\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"king\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"king\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"king\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"to straighten\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₃reǵ-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"lengthened acrostatic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-s\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₃rḗǵs\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*rekô\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*rekō\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*anadrekō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"*draca\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" }, { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"gmw-pro\", \"2\" : \":af\", \"3\" : \"*anad<id:duck>\", \"4\" : \"*rekō<id:king>\", \"id\" : \"drake\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*anadrekō\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Saxon\", \"term\" : \"*anadrako\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"osx\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle Low German\", \"term\" : \"drâke\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gml\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"drake\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"drake\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"duck\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"drake\" id=\"English:_duck\">"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "drake",
        "t": "male duck, drake",
        "id": "duck"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English drake (“male duck, drake”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "",
        "4": "*draca"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *draca"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "drâke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German drâke"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*anadrekō",
        "t": "drake",
        "lit": "duck leader"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *anadrekō (“drake”, literally “duck leader”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "drake",
        "t": "drake"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German drake (“drake”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "draak",
        "t": "drake"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch draak (“drake”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Enterich",
        "t": "drake"
      },
      "expansion": "German Enterich (“drake”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:drake<id:duck>",
        "id": "duck",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂énh₂ts\nProto-Germanic *anadz\nProto-West Germanic *anad\nProto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-\nProto-Indo-European *-s\nProto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs\nProto-Germanic *rekô\nProto-West Germanic *rekō\nProto-West Germanic *anadrekō\nOld English *draca?\n▲\nProto-West Germanic *anadrekō\nOld Saxon *anadrako\nMiddle Low German drâkebor.?\nMiddle English drake\nEnglish drake"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂énh₂ts",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂énh₂ts#Proto-Indo-European:_duck"
    ],
    [
      "*anadz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/anadz#Proto-Germanic:_duck"
    ],
    [
      "*anad",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/anad#Proto-West_Germanic:_duck"
    ],
    [
      "*h₃reǵ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃reǵ-#Proto-Indo-European:_to_straighten"
    ],
    [
      "*-s",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-s#Proto-Indo-European:_lengthened_acrostatic"
    ],
    [
      "*h₃rḗǵs",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃rḗǵs#Proto-Indo-European:_king"
    ],
    [
      "*rekô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rekô#Proto-Germanic:_king"
    ],
    [
      "*rekō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/rekō#Proto-West_Germanic:_king"
    ],
    [
      "*anadrekō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/anadrekō"
    ],
    [
      "*draca",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/draca"
    ],
    [
      "*anadrekō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/anadrekō"
    ],
    [
      "*anadrako",
      "Reconstruction:Old Saxon/anadrako"
    ],
    [
      "drâke",
      "drake#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "drake",
      "drake#Middle_English:_duck"
    ],
    [
      "drake",
      "drake#Middle_English:_duck"
    ],
    [
      "drâke",
      "drake#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "andrâke",
      "gml#English"
    ],
    [
      "*anadrekō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/anadrekō"
    ],
    [
      "drake",
      "drake#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "draak",
      "draak#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Enterich",
      "Enterich#German"
    ],
    [
      "annet",
      "annet#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Asturian",
      "lang_code": "ast",
      "word": "draque",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A male duck (bird)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A dragon. · A lesser draconic creature. · A beaked galley, or Viking warship. · A small piece of artillery.

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

From Middle English drake (“dragon; Satan”), from Old English draca (“dragon, sea monster, huge serpent”), from Proto-West Germanic *drakō (“dragon”), from Latin dracō (“dragon”), from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn, “serpent, giant seafish”), from δέρκομαι (dérkomai, “to see clearly”). Compare Middle Dutch drake and German Drache. Doublet of Draco, Dracon, dracone, dragon, and dragoon.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 3 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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dragon"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*derḱ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grk-pro",
        "3": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "drake",
        "t": "dragon; Satan",
        "id": "dragon"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English drake (“dragon; Satan”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "draca",
        "4": "",
        "5": "dragon, sea monster, huge serpent"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English draca (“dragon, sea monster, huge serpent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*drakō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "dragon"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *drakō (“dragon”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "dracō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "dragon"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin dracō (“dragon”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "δράκων",
        "4": "",
        "5": "serpent, giant seafish"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn, “serpent, giant seafish”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "dum",
        "2": "drake",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch drake"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Drache"
      },
      "expansion": "German Drache"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Draco",
        "3": "Dracon",
        "4": "dracone",
        "5": "dragon",
        "6": "dragoon"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Draco, Dracon, dracone, dragon, and dragoon"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "drake",
      "drake#Middle_English:_dragon"
    ],
    [
      "draca",
      "draca#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*drakō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/drakō"
    ],
    [
      "dracō",
      "draco#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "δράκων",
      "δράκων#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "δέρκομαι",
      "δέρκομαι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "drake",
      "drake#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Drache",
      "Drache#German"
    ],
    [
      "Draco",
      "Draco#English"
    ],
    [
      "Dracon",
      "Dracon#English"
    ],
    [
      "dracone",
      "dracone#English"
    ],
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      "dragon",
      "dragon#English"
    ],
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      "dragoon",
      "dragoon#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "A small piece of artillery."
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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 drake →

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-ZHJha2U