Where does “dreidel” come from?

dreidel (English) comes from Yiddish דריידל, from Yiddish דרייען, from Middle High German dræhen, from Old High German drāen, from Proto-West Germanic þrāan, from Proto-Germanic þrēaną, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.

dreidel (English): A four-sided spinning top, inscribed with the four Hebrew letters נ, ג, ה, and ש (or פ) on each side, often used to play a traditional game during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah

Definitions

  1. A four-sided spinning top, inscribed with the four Hebrew letters נ, ג, ה, and ש (or פ) on each side, often used to play a traditional game during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah

Ancestry of “dreidel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Yiddishדריידלspinning top; Hanukkah dreidel
2Yiddishדרייעןto turn, spin, twist
3Middle High Germandræhen—
4Old High Germandrāento turn; to twist; turn
5Proto-West Germanicþrāanto twist
6Proto-Germanicþrēanąto twist, to turn
7Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “dreidel”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þrēaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic þrāan →