deru-

Also dreu-. To be firm, solid, steadfast; hence specialized senses “wood,” “tree,” and derivatives referring to objects made of wood.

Derivatives include tree, trust, betroth, endure, and druid.

1. Suffixed variant form *drew-o-.

a. tree, from Old English trēow, tree, from Germanic *trewam;

b. truce, from Old English trēow, pledge, from Germanic *treuwō.

2. Variant form dreu-.

a. true, from Old English trēowe, firm, true;

b. trow, from Old English trēowian, trūwian, to trust;

c. trig¹, from Old Norse tryggr, firm, true;

d. troth, truth; betroth, from Old English trēowth, faith, loyalty, truth, from Germanic abstract noun *treuwithō;

e. trust, from Old Norse traust, confidence, firmness, from Germanic abstract noun *traustam;

f. tryst, from Old French triste, waiting place (< “place where one waits trustingly”), probably from a source akin to Old Norse denominative treysta, to trust, make firm. a-f all from Germanic *treuwaz.

3. Variant form *drou-. tray, from Old English trēg, trīg, wooden board, from Germanic *traujam.

4. Suffixed zero-grade form *dru-ko-.

a. trough, from Old English trog, wooden vessel, tray;

b. trug, from Old Norse trog, trough. Both a and b from Germanic *trugaz.

5. Suffixed zero-grade form *dru-mo-.

a. trim, from Old English trum, firm, strong;

b. shelter, from Old English truma, troop. Both a and b from Germanic *trum-.

6. Variant form *derw-. tar¹, from Old English te(o)ru, resin, pitch (obtained from the pine tree), from Germanic *terw-.

7. Suffixed variant form *drū-ro-. dour, duramen, duress, durum; dura mater, endure, indurate, obdurate, from Latin dūrus, hard (many of whose English derivatives represent a semantic cross with Latin dūrāre, to last long; see deuə-).

8. Lengthened zero-grade form *drū-. drupe, dryad; dryopithecine, germander, hamadryad, from Greek drūs, oak.

9. Reduplicated form *der-drew-, dissimilated with suffix in *der-drew-on. dendro-, dendron; philodendron, rhododendron, from Greek dendron, tree.

10. druid, from Latin druides, druids, probably from Celtic compound *dru-wid-, “strong seer” (*wid-, seeing; see weid-), the Celtic priestly caste.

11. O-grade form *doru-. deodar, from Sanskrit dāru, wood, timber.

 

[Pokorny deru- 214.]

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