English
drill
Drill comes from Middle Dutch drillen ‘bore, move in a circle’.
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500drillen‘bore, move in a circle’
- Englishearliest quotation 1859drill
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500drillen‘bore, move in a circle’
- Englishearliest quotation 1859drill
Earliest quotation: 1859, Thomas Macaulay: “He [Frederic the Great] drilled his people, as he…”
Every English word from Middle Dutch drillen
Another origin of drill
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīcium‘thread’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrilix‘triple-threaded’
- Old High Germanc. 750–1050drilīh
- Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350drilich
- Germanc. 1650–presentDrillich‘denim, canvas, drill’
- Englishtodaydrill
Today it means
verb To create (a hole) by removing material with a drill (tool).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle Dutch drillen / drill