drop

drop · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dʰrebʰ-“to drip, drop”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*drupô“drop (of liquid)”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*dropō“drop (of liquid)”
4. Old English · inherited fromdropa“a drop”
5. Middle English · inherited fromdrope“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”
6. Middle English · inherited fromdroppe
7. English todaydrop

From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope (“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”) [and other forms], from Old English dropa (“a drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *dropō (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (“drop (of liquid)”),, from *dreupaną (“to drip, droop”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- (“to drip, drop”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Droupe, Druppe (“drop”), Dutch drop, drup (“droplet”), German Tropfen (“drop”), German Low German Drüpp (“drop”), Luxembourgish Drëps (“drop”), Vilamovian tropa, troppa (“drop”), Yiddish טראָפּן (tropn, “drop”), Danish dråbe (“drop”), Faroese and Icelandic dropi (“drop”), Norwegian Bokmål dråpe (“drop”), Norwegian Nynorsk drope (“drop”), Swedish droppe (“drop”).

drop · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰrebʰ-
2. Proto-Germanic*druppōną
3. Proto-West Germanic*dropōn
4. Old Englishdropian
5. Middle Englishdroppen
6. English todaydrop

From Middle English droppen, dropen (“to fall in drops, drip or trickle down; to scatter, sprinkle; to be covered with a liquid; to give off moisture; of an object: to drop, fall; of a living being: to fall to the ground”) [and other forms], from Old English droppian, dropian (“to drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *dropōn, from Proto-Germanic *drupōną (“to fall in drops, drip”), ultimately from *dreupaną (“to hang, droop; drop, drip”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- (“to drip, drop”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian drippe (“to drip”), Dutch druipen (“to drip”), German triefen (“to drip”), Yiddish טריפֿן (trifn, “to drip”), Icelandic drjúpa (“to drip”), Norwegian Nynorsk drjupa, drypa, drype (“to drip”), Swedish drypa (“to drip”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 11th c. Of a liquid: to fall in drops or droplets.
• from 14th c. To fall (straight down) under the influence of gravity, like a drop of liquid.
• from 14th c. Of an item: To appear for the player to pick up, usually after an enemy has been defeated.
• from 15th c. To fall or sink quickly or suddenly to the ground.
• from 17th c. To come to an end (by not being kept up); to lapse, to stop.
• from 18th c. To decrease, diminish, or lessen in condition, degree, value, etc.
• from 18th c. Of a song or sound: to lower in key, pitch, tempo, or other quality.
• from 18th c. Of a voice: to lower in timbre, often due to puberty.