Where does “dreary” come from?

Dreary comes from Middle English drery, from Old English drēoriġ, from Proto-Germanic dreuzagaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots dʰreus- and dʰrew- with the suffix -kos.

dreary (English): Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless; Grievous,...

Definitions

  1. Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless; Grievous,...

Ancestry of “dreary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishdreryExperiencing sadness; glum, unhappy; Showing...
2Old Englishdrēoriġsad
3Proto-Germanicdreuzagazbloody; gory; sad
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰreus-to break, break off, crumble

Words derived from “dreary”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰreus- →Every word from Proto-Germanic dreuzagaz →Every word from Old English drēoriġ →