- drill
- {{11}}drill (n.1) "tool for making holes," 1610s, from Du. dril, drille "a hole, instrument for boring holes," from drillen "to bore (a hole), turn around, whirl" (see DRILL (Cf. drill) (v.)).{{12}}drill (n.2) "small furrow," 1727; also "machine for sowing seeds" (1731), from obsolete drill "rill, trickling stream" (1640s), of unknown origin; perhaps connected to DRILL (Cf. drill) (n.1).{{12}}drill (n.3) kind of coarse, twilled cloth, 1743, from Fr. drill, from Ger. drillich "heavy, coarse cotton or linen fabric," from O.H.G. adj. drilich "threefold," from L. trilix (gen. trilicis) "triply twilled" (see TRELLIS (Cf. trellis)). So called in reference to the method of weaving it.{{13}}drill (n.4) "West African baboon species," 1640s, perhaps from a native word (Cf. MANDRILL (Cf. mandrill)).{{14}}drill (v.) c.1600 (implied in drilling), from Du. drillen "to bore (a hole), turn around, whirl," from P.Gmc. *threljanan (Cf. M.H.G. drillen "to turn, round off, bore," O.E. þyrel "hole"), from PIE *tere- "to turn, rub" (see THROW (Cf. throw) (v.)). Sense of "to instruct in military exercise" is 1620s (also in Du. drillen and in the Danish and German cognates), probably from the notion of troops "turning" in maneuvers. Extended noun sense of "the agreed-upon procedure" is from 1940. Related: Drilled.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
