dretch

D2R1E1T1C3H4

verb

To vex; grill; trouble; oppress.

OriginMiddle English dretchen ← Old English dreċċan ← Proto-West Germanic *drakkjan →
Scrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

dretch1

verbdretch (third-person singular simple present dretches, present participle dretching, simple past and past participle dretched)

present singular third person dretches · participle present dretching · participle past dretched · past dretched

  1. obsoletetransitiveTo vex; grill; trouble; oppress.

dretch2

verbdretch (third-person singular simple present dretches, present participle dretching, simple past and past participle dretched)

present singular third person dretches · participle present dretching · participle past dretched · past dretched · alternative Scotland draitch · alternative Scotland drich

  1. intransitiveobsoleteTo delay; linger; tarry.
  2. ScotlandUKdialectalintransitiveTo move slowly and heavily; dawdle; loiter.
noundretch (plural dretches)

plural dretches · alternative Scotland draitch · alternative Scotland drich

  1. An idle wench; a slattern.
  2. ScotlandUKdialectalA person slow in the execution of a job; a dawdler.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
dallydawdledilly-dallyfaff aboutfooterfootleloitersit on one's handsstand bytool around

Origin

dretch · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰrag-
  2. Proto-Germanic*drakjaną“to torment”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*drakkjan
  4. Old Englishdreċċan“to vex, irritate, trouble, torment, torture, oppress, afflict”
  5. Middle Englishdretchen
  6. Englishdretch

From Middle English dretchen, drecchen, drechen, from Old English dreċċan (“to vex, irritate, trouble, torment, torture, oppress, afflict”), from Proto-West Germanic *drakkjan, from Proto-Germanic *drakjaną (“to torment”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrag-, *dʰragʰ- (“to bother, torment”). Cognate with Russian раздража́ть (razdražátʹ, “to irritate”), Sanskrit द्राघते (drāghate, “to exert oneself, be tired, torment”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

dretch · verb, noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰreǵ-“to pull, drag, scratch”
  2. Proto-Germanic*drakjaną“to draw, pull”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*drakkjan
  4. Old English*dreċċan“to draw out, delay, linger”
  5. Middle Englishdretchen
  6. Englishdretch

From Middle English dretchen, drecchen, drechen, from Old English *dreċċan (“to draw out, delay, linger”), from Proto-West Germanic *drakkjan, from Proto-Germanic *drakjaną (“to draw, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreǵ- (“to pull, drag, scratch”). Cognate with Scots dratch, dretch (“to dawdle”), Dutch trekken (“to draw, pull, tear, pluck, trek”), German trecken (“to draw, trek”), Danish trække (“to draw, pull”), Norwegian dråk (“stripe”), Swedish dialectal drakig (“striped, streaked”), Icelandic rák (“streak”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with dretch

catchstretchsketchwretchfetchetchlechfletchketchvetchkvetchretchGoetschoverstretchletchoutstretchquetsch
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

dretch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dretch

MLA

“dretch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dretch. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dretch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dretch.

Source: dretch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.