dreng
English
Alternative forms
- drench, drenge
Etymology
Probably borrowed from Medieval Latin drengus, from Middle English dreng (“warrior, retainer”) or its source, Old English drenġ (“warrior, soldier”), from Proto-West Germanic *drangī, from Proto-Germanic *drangijaz, cognate to Old Norse drengr.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdɹɛŋ/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛŋ
Noun
dreng (plural drengs)
- (historical, UK) A kind of feudal free tenant with military duties, mentioned in the Domesday Book.
- 1711, “Chapter XVII: Of Tallage”, in Thomas Madox, The Hiſtory and Antiquities of the Exchequer of the Kings of England, London: John Matthews, page 480:
- In the reign of K. Richard I, the Theines and Drenges of Northumberland were tallaged. They paid each of them 80 much de Dono (o).
- 1862, “Appendix T: The Laws of King Henry the First”, in E. William Robertson, Scotland Under Her Early Kings: A History of the Kingdom to the Close of the 13th Century, volume 2, Edinburgh: Edmonston & Douglas, page 513:
- Accordingly, long after the Conquest, the Thegns and Drengs of Northumberland, and the Drengs, Thegns, and Villeins of the bishopric of Durham, continued to be tallaged.
- 2000, “Society and Status”, in Birgit Sawyer, The Viking-age Rune-stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 106:
- It is significant that, as Map 2 shows, the main concentrations of thegns and drengs are in the east of the territory that was apparently tributary to the Danish king in about AD 1000.
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Albanian
Etymology
Variant of drenjë, from Proto-Indo-European *dreu- (“tree”). Occurs in Cham Albanian.
Adjective
dreng m (feminine drenge)
- strong, healthy, sound
See also
- drenjë
- drënjë
Danish
Etymology
From Old Norse drengr (“young warrior”), from Proto-Germanic *drangijaz (“man, servant”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdrɛŋˀ/, [ˈd̥ʁɑ̈ŋˀ]
audio (file)
Noun
dreng c (singular definite drengen, plural indefinite drenge)
- boy, lad
Inflection
common gender | Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | dreng | drengen | drenge | drengene |
genitive | drengs | drengens | drenges | drengenes |
Middle English
Alternative forms
- dranch, dring, dringch, ðring
Etymology
Inherited from Old English drenġ, from Proto-West Germanic *drangī, from Proto-Germanic *drangijaz. Some forms are influenced by Old Norse drengr.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /drɛndʒ/, /drindʒ/
- (from Old Norse drengr) IPA(key): /drɛnɡ/, /drinɡ/
Noun
dreng (plural drenges)
- (poetic) A warrior or soldier; a person who fights.
- A follower of a lord; a member of a host.
- (rare) A lord or chieftain.
- (rare) A dreng (military vassal)
Descendants
- → Medieval Latin: drengus
- → English: dreng, drench, drenge
- >? Scots: dring
References
- “dreng, drenǧ, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old Norse drengr.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /drɛŋː/
Noun
dreng m (definite singular drengen, indefinite plural drengar or drenger, definite plural drengane or drengene)
- a farmhand
- an assistant, apprentice
Further reading
- “dreng” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *drangī, from Proto-Germanic *drangijaz.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /drenj/, [drend͡ʒ]
Noun
drenġ m
- (poetic) warrior; soldier
Inflection
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
nominative | drenġ | drenġas |
accusative | drenġ | drenġas |
genitive | drenġes | drenġa |
dative | drenġe | drenġum |
Descendants
- Middle English: dreng, dranch, dring, dringch, ðring
- → Medieval Latin: drengus
- → English: dreng, drench, drenge
- >? Scots: dring
- → Medieval Latin: drengus