drudge English · revision 1569

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /dɹʌd͡ʒ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|druggen|t=to labour]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) apparently related to [[ang|drēogan|t=to work, suffer, endure]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) It is related to Old Norse ''drýgja'' “to accomplish” and Gothic ''driugan'' “to serve as a soldier”.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) Barnhart notes that the spelling ''drudge'' implies an Old English ''*drycgean'', which is not recorded.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To do menial or monotonous work (about 1385).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The noun, one employed in servile or distasteful work, followed in 1494,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) and ''drudgery'' in 1550.^(Barnhart 1995) The sense has stayed close to the original.^(OED 1989)^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1250 – ''druggunge'', drudging.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * about 1385 – verb, to do menial work.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1494 – noun, a toiler at servile work.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1550 – ''drudgery''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person who does tedious, menial or hard work.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A person whose work is dull and routine.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # Tedious work; [[drudgery]].^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To do tedious, menial or unpleasant work; to [[toil]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[drudger]]

+ * [[drudgingly]]

+ * [[drudgery]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dree]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Random House gives ''toil'', ''hack'', ''grub'', ''plod'' and ''slave'' as synonyms.^(RHWU) The American Heritage Dictionary notes that oyster fishermen on Chesapeake Bay pronounce ''dredge'' as ''drudge''.^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}