DR + Trivia Quiz

Answer: Drink

DR + the writing material ink = drink, a lovely thirst quencher. The word drink comes from the Old English "drincan", which means "to swallow water or other fluid".

Answer: Drum

DR + "um", a sound of hesitation = the musical instrument drum. Etymologists have traced this word to the Middle Dutch word "trom" first used in the early 1500s for the musical instrument.

Answer: Dram

DR + am, the first person singular present of be = dram, or small amount. Various etymologists report different sources of this word from Anglo-French ("dram, drachma"), from Late Latin ("dragma"), from Latin ("drachma"), and from Greek ("drachmē"), literally meaning "handful".

Answer: Drape

DR + ape, a large primate = drape, or curtain. The noun "drape" seems to stem from Anglo-French in the mid-1100s when it was first used as a surname for "one who weaves and/or sells cloth".

Answer: Drill

DR + ill, or not feeling well, = drill. Etymologists have traced this word to the early 1600s when the word "drillen" in Middle Dutch meant "to bore or turn in a circle".

Answer: Draw

DR + aw, a sound of disappointment = draw. There are many forms and meanings of the word draw, including both nouns and verbs. For example, if it is used as a verb, you can draw a picture (as in the example given in this question), draw a conclusion, draw the curtains, draw a breath, draw a sword, draw water for a bath, draw attention to yourself, and many others. If used as a noun, a game might end in a draw, the draw for a lottery prize is made, and many other uses. Etymologists have traced the word "draw" to the Old English "dragan", meaning "to draw, drag, pull".

Answer: Drought

DR + ought, or duty to do something = drought. Etymologists have traced the word "drought" to the late Old English "drūgath", meaning "dryness".

Answer: Drown

DR + own, something belongs to you = drown. Etymologists know that the words "drownen", "drounen", and "drunen" were used in Middle English to mean "to drown". However, there is no definitive evidence about where the word existed before that. Some believe that is comes from the Old English "drūnian", while others feel that is was influenced by the Old Norse "drukkna", meaning "to drown".

Answer: Dredge

DR + edge, or border = dredge. Etymologists have found that word "dredge" can be traced to the late 1400s and may be related to the Middle Dutch word "dregghe", or "grappling hook".

Answer: Drone

DR + one, or single = drone. This is another word with many meanings, and can be used as both a noun and a verb. As a verb, a speaker can drone on and on, the sound of traffic on the street can drone, and the sound of a machine can drone on. As a noun, it can be used to indicate a male bee (as in this question), a remote controlled unmanned aircraft, or a person who does no work and lives off others.

The word "drone" was used before the 1100s to describe male bees. Other uses have been developed since, with the word "drone" for a remote controlled unmanned aircraft first used in the 1930s-1940s. Etymologists have traced this word to the Old English "drān", meaning "male honeybee".