Etymograph

English

fordry

Fordry comes from Old English fordrūgian ‘to become dry, wither’, from Proto-Germanic *drūgiz ‘hard, solid’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to hold, hold fast, support’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-1‘to hold, hold fast, support’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰerǵʰ-1‘to strengthen’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰr̥ǵʰ-yé-ti1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*drūgiz2‘hard, solid’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*drūgī3‘dry’reconstructed
  6. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*drūgijan4‘to dry’reconstructed
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150drūgian5‘to become dry’
  8. Old Englishc. 450–1150fordrūgian6‘to become dry, wither’
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fordrien6
  10. Englishtodayfordry6

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drūgiz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *drūgī
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *drūgijan
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Old English drugian
  5. 5 Wiktionary, Old English fordrugian
  6. 6 Wiktionary, English fordry

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drūgiz‘to hold, hold fast, support’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰerǵʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drūgiz‘to strengthen’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰr̥ǵʰ-yé-tiWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *drūgizreconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*drūgizWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *drūgī‘hard, solid’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*drūgīWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *drūgijan‘dry’reconstructed
  6. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*drūgijanWiktionary, Old English drugian‘to dry’reconstructed
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150drūgianWiktionary, Old English fordrugian‘to become dry’
  8. Old Englishc. 450–1150fordrūgianWiktionary, English fordry‘to become dry, wither’
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fordrienWiktionary, English fordry
  10. EnglishtodayfordryWiktionary, English fordry

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to hold, hold fast, support’

dark, firm, drug, drama, dare, throne, drain, drone, feasible, refrain, darn, drastic, formidable, dharma, dazed, dern, dor, 41 more

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰerǵʰ- ‘to strengthen’

comfort

through Proto-West Germanic *drūgī ‘dry’

dry

Today it means

verb To dry up; become dry.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fordry”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *drūgiz, Proto-West Germanic *drūgī, Proto-West Germanic *drūgijan, Old English drugian, Old English fordrugian. 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- / fordry

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