English
drastic
Drastic may come from Ancient Greek δραστικός ‘active, efficient’, from δράω ‘to do’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to support, hold’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-1‘to support, hold’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰor-éyeti1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not tracediterative formation of *dʰer-
- Lithuanianmoderndarýti2‘to make’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδράω3dráō‘to do’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδρᾶσις3drâsis‘strength, efficacy’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδραστικός3drastikós‘active, efficient’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1871-72drastic3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Lithuanian daryti
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δράω, which cites Beekes
- 3 Wiktionary, English drastic
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1871-72, George Eliot: “Great statesmen err, and why not small medical men?…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-Wiktionary, Lithuanian daryti‘to support, hold’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰor-éyetiWiktionary, Lithuanian darytiroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not tracediterative formation of *dʰer-
- LithuanianmoderndarýtiWiktionary, Ancient Greek δράω, which cites Beekes‘to make’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδράωWiktionary, English drasticdráō‘to do’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδρᾶσιςWiktionary, English drasticdrâsis‘strength, efficacy’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδραστικόςWiktionary, English drasticdrastikós‘active, efficient’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1871-72drasticWiktionary, English drastic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1871-72, George Eliot: “Great statesmen err, and why not small medical men?…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to support, hold’
dark, firm, drug, dry, dare, throne, drone, formidable, darn, drain, feasible, refrain, dharma, dazed, dor, dern, 39 more
through Lithuanian darýti ‘to make’
melodrama, dramatist, dramatize, 14 more
through Ancient Greek δράω ‘to do’
Today it means
adj Having a strong or far-reaching effect; extreme, severe.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “drastic”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Lithuanian daryti, Ancient Greek δράω. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- / drastic