Word: dreich Part of Speech: adj Etymology: The adjective is borrowed from Scots dreich (“hard to bear, dreary, tedious, wearisome; interminable, long-winded; dull, uninteresting; slow, tardy; doleful, gloomy; baffling, difficult; difficult to reach, inaccessible”), from Middle English dregh, dri, drie (“burdensome; depressing, dismal; large, tall; lasting, long; long-suffering, patient; tedious; of blows: hard, heavy; of the face: unchanging, unmoved; of a person: strong, valorous”) [and other forms], from Old English *drēog, drēoh (“earnest; fit; sober”), and then probably partly: * shortened from Old English ġedrēog (“calm, quiet; sober; fit, suitable”, adjective), from ġe- (prefix forming adjectives of association or similarity) + Proto-Germanic *dreugaz (“enduring, lasting”) (from *dreuganą (“to serve, be a retainer”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ- (“to serve one’s tribe; loyal”)); and * influenced by Old Norse drjúgr (“sufficient; excessive, very; great; strong”), from Proto-Germanic *dreugaz (see above). The noun is probably partly derived: * from the adjective; and * borrowed from Scots dreich (“dreariness, gloom”) (rare), probably from Middle English dri, drie (“annoyance, trouble; grief; period of time”) [and other forms], possibly from dri, drie (adjective) (see above). (Compare Old English ġedrēog (“seemliness; seriousness, sobriety; something appropriate or required”, noun), which did not survive into Middle English.) Cognates * German Low German drēg, drēge * Icelandic drjúgur (“ample; heavy, substantial; long”) * North Frisian drech * Old Danish drygh (modern Danish drøj (“heavy; solid, tough”)) * Old Swedish drygher (modern Swedish dryg (“ample, liberal; hard; large; lasting”)) * Saterland Frisian drjooch * Scots dreich * West Frisian dreech, drege (“extensive; long-lasting”) Pronunciation: /dɹiːk/, /dɹiːx/, /dɹik/, /drix/, /ðreː/ 1. Extending for a long distance or time, especially when tedious or wearisome; long-drawn-out, protracted; also, of speech or writing: unnecessarily verbose; long-winded. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: So Alec showed her the letter, 'twas long and dreich and went on and on; […] 2. Not enjoyable or interesting; boring, dull. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: VVhen thou an' I vvere young an' ſkiegh, / An' ſtable-meals at Fairs vvere driegh, / Hovv thou vvad prance, an' ſnore, an' ſkriegh, / An' tak the road! Example: ["]My life is a bit driegh," says he, pouring out the brandy; "I see little company, and sit and twirl my thumbs, and mind upon a great day that is gone by, and weary for another great day that we all hope will be upon the road. And so here's a toast to ye: The Restoration!" 3. Bleak, cheerless, dismal, dreary, miserable. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: But he's lying i' such dree poverty,—and niver a friend to go near him,—niver a person to speak a kind word t' him. Example: Aweel, Wully was an unco praying kind o' man; a dreigh body, nane o' my kind, I never could abide the sight o' him; […] 4. suitably serious or solemn Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland 5. of a person: patient, stoic, tolerant, resolute Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland 6. Slow, sluggish; specifically, of a person: tending to delay or procrastinate (especially when paying for something). Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: What think ye o' yon bonny hill yonder, lifting its brow to the moon? […] [M]aybe we will win there the night yet, God sain us, though our minny [a horse] here's rather driegh in the upgang. Example: I have the bills o' men like Keppoch and Glengarry flourishing about the Lowlands in the place o' paper money; they're aye gettin' a' the dreicher at the payin', but whatever comes o't I have got them in my grasp. 7. Of a person: having a dejected or serious appearance or mood; dour, gloomy, moody, morose, sullen. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: There they are that were capering on their prancing nags four days since, and they are now ganging as driegh and sober as oursells the day. 8. Of a task: laborious, tedious, troublesome; hence, needing concentration to understand; intricate. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: Right above your head some thing towered up with branching arms in the flow of the lights; and you saw that it was a cross of stone, overlaid with curlecues, strange, dreich signs, like the banners of the Roman robbers of men whom you'd preached against in Zion last night. 9. Chiefly of rain: without pause or stop; continuous, incessant. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: So, after two hours' running downhill, we came out in the level valley at Glashütte. It was raining now, a thick dree rain. 10. Of weather: dreary, gloomy (cold, overcast, rainy, etc.). Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: To be sure, t' winter's been a dree season, and thou'rt, maybe, in the right on't to make a late start. Example: Days are dreicher than January. / A dead lamb is dropped in the thaw. / Yet now we are glad / For all things turn to the sun. 11. Of a person: negotiating forcefully; driving a hard bargain. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland, obsolete 12. Of a place (especially a hill or mountain): difficult to get through or reach; inaccessible. Labels: Midlands, North, Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland, obsolete