Where does “dirt” come from?

Dirt comes from Middle English drit, from Old Norse drit, from Proto-Germanic dritą, from Proto-Indo-European dʰreyd-.

dirt (English): Soil or earth

Definitions

  1. Soil or earth

Ancestry of “dirt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdritexcrement
2Old Norsedritexcrement
3Proto-Germanicdritąshit, excrement
4Proto-Germanicdrītanąto defecate; to urinate
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰreyd-to have diarrhea

Words derived from “dirt”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰreyd- →