drill English · revision 7785
16 Oct 2026, 14:34 by bogdan “en10k b0324: derby … hug” current version
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+ Three nouns are spelled drill: a boring tool, from Dutch; a furrow for seed, of unknown origin; and a twilled cloth, from German Drillich.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /dɹɪl/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ {{homograph|1|boring tool, training}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1611|origins=nl drillen}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[bor|nl|dril|t=a hole, instrument for boring]], drille, from drillen, to bore, turn around, whirl,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) from Middle Dutch drillen,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from Proto-Germanic *þreljanan,^(Barnhart 1988) from PIE [[ine-pro|*terh₁-|alt=*tere-|t=to rub, turn]], also the root of Latin terere, to rub, and English [[throw]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A tool for boring holes: 1611.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Training in military exercises is from before 1637,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988) after Dutch drillen in the same sense,^(Hoad 1986) and the verb, to train soldiers, is 16th-century in Hoad.^(Hoad 1986) To pierce or bore a hole is from 1649.^(OED 1989) Rigorous training or exact routine is from 1815,^(OED 1989) and ''the drill'', the recognized procedure, is colloquial from 1940.^(OED 1989) A shellfish that bores into oyster shells is from 1886.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1611 – a boring tool.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * before 1637 – military training.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1649 – to bore a hole.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1815 – strict routine.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1940 – the drill, procedure.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A tool or machine with a rotating bit for boring holes.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # Training by repeated exercises, especially in military procedures.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''(informal)'' The correct or usual procedure.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ===Verb===
+ # To bore a hole with a drill.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+ # To teach or train by repetition.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[driller]]
+ * [[drill sergeant]]
+
+ {{homograph|2|seed furrow}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=unknown|attested=1727}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is perhaps from obsolete drill, a rill, trickling stream (1641), of unknown origin,^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) perhaps an alteration of [[trill]], to trickle.^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A small furrow in which seed is sown: 1727.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ A machine for sowing seed in rows is from 1731.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The verb, to sow seed in drills rather than broadcast, is from before 1740.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1641 – a rill (obsolete).^(OED 1989)
+ * 1727 – a seed furrow.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1731 – a sowing machine.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A shallow [[furrow]] in which seeds are sown, or a row of seeds so planted.^(AHD)
+ # A machine for sowing seeds in rows.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ===Verb===
+ # To sow seed or plant a field in drills.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+
+ {{homograph|3|cloth}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=clipping|attested=1743|origins=la trilix}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is a shortening of drilling (1640), an alteration of German [[m|de|Drillich|t=a heavy, coarse cotton or linen fabric]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Middle High German drilich, threefold,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from Latin [[m|la|trilix|t=having three threads]], from tri-, three, and licium, thread,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) in reference to its three-threaded weave.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A coarse twilled cotton or linen cloth: 1743.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Etymonline gives a French drill as the intermediate form.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1640 – drilling.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1743 – drill.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A strong twilled cotton or linen [[fabric]].^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[drill bit]]
+ * [[twist drill]]
+ * [[drill press]]
+ * [[throw]]
+ * [[trill]]
+ * [[mandrill]]
+
+ ==Usage notes==
+ The drill, a West African baboon (1644), is named from a West African word (compare [[mandrill]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) An obsolete verb drill, to delay or entice, is from before 1300.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}