drincan

Forms

drincan (strong class 3; third-person singular present drincþ, past singular dranc, past plural druncon)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *drinkan, from Proto-Germanic *drinkaną (“to drink”).^[1][2] The strong verb is attested in every old Germanic language: Gothic 𐌳𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌺𐌰𐌽 (drigkan), Old Norse drekka, Old Frisian drinka, Old Saxon drinkan and Old High German trinkan.^[2][3][4]

Its origin is unclear.^[2][5] Orel calls it of unknown origin and suggests that it was formed back from a causative Proto-Germanic *drankijaną meaning “to milk”, which he relates to Proto-Slavic *dręgati (“to pull”).^[2] Köbler and Holthausen connect it with Proto-Indo-European *dʰreǵ- (“to draw, glide”) (Pokorny 273), Holthausen with a query, comparing Sanskrit ध्रजति (dhrajati, “glides, draws”).^[3][6] Wiktionary gives a nasalised form of that root, “to draw into the mouth, sip”.^[1]

In Old English it is a strong verb of the third class, one of the commonest verbs of that class.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is recorded from the mid-ninth century: the Vespasian Psalter gloss renders “Bibent ex eo omnes peccatores terrae” of Psalm 74 with Drincað of ðæm alle synfulle eorðan, “all the sinners of the earth shall drink of it”.^[8][9] The Pastoral Care (Hatton 20, 890×897) uses it figuratively of teachers: Sua ða lareowas hi drincað suiðe hluter wæter, ðonne hi ðone godcundan wisdom leorniað, “so the teachers drink very clear water when they learn divine wisdom”.^[10][9]

Semantic evolution

Bosworth and Toller's Supplement separates its absolute uses (to take a draught, to drink for thirst or nourishment, and to drink convivially, to feast) from its uses with an object (to drink a liquid, to drain a cup, to have something as one's drink).^[11] In the laws drincan at a man's home is to be his guest at a feast: Æthelberht's laws speak of the king drinking at a man's house.^[12][11] Its past participle druncen could mean refreshed or elated with drink as well as drunk.^[13] In Beowulf it describes the retainers at the feast.^[14] It also renders Latin “bibere”, “potare” and “haurire”.^[3] Wiktionary adds a sense “to inhale smoke”.^[1]

The verb continued as Middle English drynken, now English drink.^[1][15]

Timeline

• s. ix med. – Drincað of ðæm “shall drink of it” in the Vespasian Psalter gloss.^[8][9]
• 890×897 – the teachers who drink clear water in the Pastoral Care (Hatton 20).^[10][9]
• s. x in. or xi¹ – sealde drincan þam mannum “gave it to the men to drink”, against snakebite, in the Old English Bede (Tanner 10).^[16][9]
• s. x/xi – druncon and druncne of the feasting warriors in the Beowulf manuscript.^[14]

Meanings

Verb

1. to drink, to take a liquid into the mouth and swallow it.^[17][11]
2. to drink convivially, to feast; to be someone's guest.^[11][3]
3. to drain a cup; to use as one's drink.^[11]
4. to swallow up, engulf.^[3][13]

Word family

• ādrincan
• bedrincan
• fordrincan
• oferdrincan
• druncen
• drincere

Descendants

• Middle English drynken (→ English drink; Middle Scots drink; Middle Scots drynk)^[1]

Related words

• drenċ
• drinc
• drynċ

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 75
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. drincan
4. ^ Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton
5. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 77
7. ^ Hogg, Richard M.; Fulk, R. D. (2011), A Grammar of Old English, vol. 2: Morphology, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, p. § 6.57
8. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 329
9. ^ a b c d e Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
10. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 499
11. ^ a b c d e Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. Suppl. 157
12. ^ Liebermann, F. (1906), Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, vol. II.1: Wörterbuch, Halle: Niemeyer, p. 55
13. ^ a b Nerthus: An Online Lexical Database of Old English, Universidad de La Rioja, nerthusproject.com (derivational paradigms, via the Nerthus Project's open data)
14. ^ a b Fulk, R. D.; Bjork, Robert E.; Niles, John D., eds. (2008), Klaeber's Beowulf and The Fight at Finnsburg, 4th ed., Toronto: University of Toronto Press (glossary), p. s.v. drincan
15. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
16. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 531
17. ^ Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 214