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druid

Etymology and origin of the English word druid

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdɹuːɪd/ (UK); /ˈdɹu.ɪd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It comes, partly through Middle French druide,[2][3] from Latin druides, druidae,[4][2][3][5][6] from Gaulish druides,[2][3][5] of Celtic origin.[4][3] Etymonline reconstructs a Celtic compound *dru-wid- “strong seer”, from *derwos “true”, from a root meaning “tree, oak”, and *wid- “to know”,[3] so perhaps literally “they who know the oak”.[3] It is related to Old Irish druí “wizard”.[2][3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A member of an order of priests among the ancient Celts of Gaul and Britain (1509 as a translation of Latin Druidae; 1563 as Druid).[2][5][7]

Semantic evolution

In Welsh and Irish legend the druids appear as prophets, magicians and wizards.[4][5] In modern use the word was applied to a philosophic bard or poet (1710),[7] to officers of the Welsh Gorsedd,[7] and to members of the United Ancient Order of Druids, a benefit society founded in London in 1781.[3][7] Old English had dry “magician”, probably from Old Irish.[3]

Timeline

  • 1509 – Druydan, in a translation.[2]
  • 1563 – Druid.[2][5][7]
  • 1710 – a philosophic bard.[7]
  • 1781 – the United Ancient Order of Druids founded.[3][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A member of an order of priests among the ancient Celts of Gaul, Britain and Ireland, who appear in Welsh and Irish legend as prophets and sorcerers.
  2. A member of a modern society or movement that claims descent from the ancient druids.

Word family

  • druidic
  • druidically
  • druidism
  • druidess
  • tree
  • true
  • wit

Usage notes

Wiktionary and Merriam-Webster note that the word is often capitalized.[1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Druid.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/druid. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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