Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “drugs” come from?

Drugs comes from Middle English drogge, from Middle French drogue, from Middle Dutch droge, from Old Dutch drōgi, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰer-.

drugs (English): plural of drug; Third-person singular simple...

Definitions

  1. plural of drug; Third-person singular simple...

Ancestry of “drugs”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdrugA substance used to treat an illness, relieve a...
2Middle Englishdroggemedicine
3Middle Frenchdroguedrug
4Old Frenchdrogue—
5Old Frenchdrocgue—
6Middle Dutchdrôge—
7Old Dutchdrōgidry
8Proto-West Germanic*draugī—
9Proto-Germanicdraugizhard, solid; dry
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰerǵʰ-to strengthen; to strengthen; become hard; to...
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold

Words derived from “drugs”

  • polydrugs
  • drugs
  • drugsbaron
  • drugsgebruiker
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- →