Where does “droughte” come from?
droughte (Middle English) comes from Old English drūgaþ, from Old English drȳġe, from Proto-West Germanic *drūgi, from Proto-Germanic drūgiz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰerǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.
Ancestry of “droughte”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | drūgaþ | dryness, drought |
| 2 | Old English | drȳġe | dry; dry; parched, withered |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *drūgi | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | drūgiz | hard, solid; dry |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerǵʰ- | to strengthen; to strengthen; become hard; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |