Dropwort (-wûrt`) noun (Botany) An Old World species of Spiræa ( S. filipendula ), with finely cut leaves.

Drosera (drŏs"e*rȧ) noun [ New Latin , from Greek drosero`s dewy.] (Botany) A genus of low perennial or biennial plants, the leaves of which are beset with gland-tipped bristles. See Sundew . Gray.

Drosky (drŏs"kȳ) noun ; plural Droskies (-kĭz). [ Russian drojki , dim. of drogi a kind of carriage, prop. plural of droga shaft or pole of a carriage.] A low, four-wheeled, open carriage, used in Russia, consisting of a kind of long, narrow bench, on which the passengers ride as on a saddle, with their feet reaching nearly to the ground. Other kinds of vehicles are now so called, esp. a kind of victoria drawn by one or two horses, and used as a public carriage in German cities. [ Written also droitzschka , and droschke .]

Drosometer noun [ Greek dro`sos dew + -meter : confer French drosométre .] (Meteorol.) An instrument for measuring the quantity of dew on the surface of a body in the open air. It consists of a balance, having a plate at one end to receive the dew, and at the other a weight protected from the deposit of dew.

Dross noun [ Anglo-Saxon dros , from dreósan to fall. See Dreary .]
1. The scum or refuse matter which is thrown off, or falls from, metals in smelting the ore, or in the process of melting; recrement.

2. Rust of metals. [ R.] Addison.

3. Waste matter; any worthless matter separated from the better part; leavings; dregs; refuse.

All world's glory is but dross unclean.

Spenser.

At the devil's booth are all things sold,
Each ounce of dross coats its ounce of gold.

Lowell.

Drossel noun [ Confer Drazel .] A slut; a hussy; a drazel. [ Obsolete] Warner.

Drossless adjective Free from dross. Stevens.

Drossy adjective [ Compar. Drossier ; superl. Drossiest .] Of, pertaining to, resembling, dross; full of dross; impure; worthless. " Drossy gold." Dryden. " Drossy rhymes." Donne. -- Dross"i*ness , noun

Drotchel noun See Drossel . [ Obsolete]

Drough imperfect of Draw . [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Drought (drout) noun [ Middle English droght , drougth , druʒð , Anglo-Saxon drugað , from drugian to dry. See Dry , and confer Drouth , which shows the original final sound.]
1. Dryness; want of rain or of water; especially, such dryness of the weather as affects the earth, and prevents the growth of plants; aridity.

The drought of March hath pierced to the root.

Chaucer.

In a drought the thirsty creatures cry.

Dryden.

2. Thirst; want of drink. Johnson.

3. Scarcity; lack.

A drought of Christian writers caused a dearth of all history.

Fuller.

Droughtiness noun A state of dryness of the weather; want of rain.

Droughty adjective
1. Characterized by drought; wanting rain; arid; adust.

Droughty and parched countries.

Ray.

2. Dry; thirsty; wanting drink.

Thy droughty throat.

Philips.

Droumy adjective [ Confer Scot. drum , dram , melancholy, Icel prumr a moper, W. trwm heavy, sad.] Troubled; muddy. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

Drouth noun Same as Drought . Sandys.

Another ill accident is drouth at the spindling of corn.

Bacon.

One whose drouth [ thirst],
Yet scarce allayed, still eyes the current stream.

Milton.

In the dust and drouth of London life.

Tennyson.

Drouthy adjective Droughty.

Drove imperfect of Drive .

Drove noun [ Anglo-Saxon drāf , from drīfan to drive. See Drive .]
1. A collection of cattle driven, or cattle collected for driving; a number of animals, as oxen, sheep, or swine, driven in a body.

2. Any collection of irrational animals, moving or driving forward; as, a finny drove . Milton.

3. A crowd of people in motion.

Where droves , as at a city gate, may pass.

Dryden.

4. A road for driving cattle; a driftway. [ Eng.]

5. (Agriculture) A narrow drain or channel used in the irrigation of land. Simmonds.

6. (Masonry) (a) A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface; -- called also drove chisel . (b) The grooved surface of stone finished by the drove chisel; -- called also drove work .

Drove transitive verb & i. [ imperfect & past participle Droved ; present participle & verbal noun Droving .] [ Confer Drove , noun , and Drover .]
1. To drive, as cattle or sheep, esp. on long journeys; to follow the occupation of a drover.

He's droving now with Conroy's sheep along the Castlereagh.

Paterson.

2. To finish, as stone, with a drove or drove chisel.

Droven past participle of Drive . [ Obsolete]

Drover noun
1. One who drives cattle or sheep to market; one who makes it his business to purchase cattle, and drive them to market.

Why, that's spoken like an honest drover ; so they sell bullocks.

Shak.

2. A boat driven by the tide. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Drovy adjective [ Anglo-Saxon dr...f dirty; confer Dutch droef , German trübe , Goth. dr...bjan to trouble.] Turbid; muddy; filthy. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Drow imperfect of Draw . [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Drown intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Drowned ; present participle & verbal noun Drowning .] [ Middle English drunen , drounen , earlier drunknen , druncnien , Anglo-Saxon druncnian to be drowned, sink, become drunk, from druncen drunken. See Drunken , Drink .] To be suffocated in water or other fluid; to perish in water.

Methought, what pain it was to drown .

Shak.

Drown transitive verb
1. To overwhelm in water; to submerge; to inundate. "They drown the land." Dryden.

2. To deprive of life by immersion in water or other liquid.

3. To overpower; to overcome; to extinguish; -- said especially of sound.

Most men being in sensual pleasures drowned .

Sir J. Davies.

My private voice is drowned amid the senate.

Addison.

To drown up , to swallow up. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Drownage noun The act of drowning. [ R.]

Drowner noun One who, or that which, drowns.

Drowse intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Drowsed ; present participle & verbal noun Drowsing .] [ Anglo-Saxon dr...sian , dr...san , to sink, become slow or inactive; confer OD. droosen to be sleepy, fall asleep, LG. dr...sen , druusken , to slumber, fall down with a noise; prob, akin to Anglo-Saxon dreósan to fall. See Dreary .] To sleep imperfectly or unsoundly; to slumber; to be heavy with sleepiness; to doze. "He drowsed upon his couch." South.

In the pool drowsed the cattle up to their knees.

Lowell.

Drowse transitive verb To make heavy with sleepiness or imperfect sleep; to make dull or stupid. Milton.

Drowse noun A slight or imperfect sleep; a doze.

But smiled on in a drowse of ecstasy.

Mrs. Browning.

Drowsihead noun Drowsiness. Thomson.

Drowsihed noun Drowsihead. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Drowsily adverb In a drowsy manner.

Drowsiness noun State of being drowsy. Milton.

Drowsy adjective [ Compar. Drowsier ; superl. Drowsiest .]
1. Inclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness; lethargic; dozy. "When I am drowsy ." Shak.

Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray.

Shak.

To our age's drowsy blood
Still shouts the inspiring sea.

Lowell.

2. Disposing to sleep; lulling; soporific.

The drowsy hours, dispensers of all good.

Tennyson.

3. Dull; stupid. " Drowsy reasoning." Atterbury.

Syn. -- Sleepy; lethargic; dozy; somnolent; comatose; dull heavy; stupid.

Drowth noun See Drought . Bacon.

Droyle intransitive verb See Droil . [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Drub transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Drubbed ; present participle & verbal noun Drubbing .] [ Confer Prov. English drab to beat, Icelandic & Swedish drabba to hit, beat, Danish dræbe to slay, and perhaps Middle English drepen to strike, kill, Anglo-Saxon drepan to strike, G. & Dutch freffen to hit, touch, Icelandic drepa to strike, kill.] To beat with a stick; to thrash; to cudgel.

Soundly Drubbed with a good honest cudgel.

L'Estrange.

Drub noun A blow with a cudgel; a thump. Addison.

Drubber noun One who drubs. Sir W. Scott.

Drudge intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Drudged ; present participle & verbal noun Drudging .] [ Middle English druggen ; prob not akin to English drag , transitive verb , but from Celtic; confer Ir. drugaire a slave or drudge.] To perform menial work; to labor in mean or unpleasant offices with toil and fatigue.

He gradually rose in the estimation of the booksellers for whom he drudged .

Macaulay.

Drudge transitive verb To consume laboriously; -- with away .

Rise to our toils and drudge away the day.

Otway.

Drudge noun One who drudges; one who works hard in servile employment; a mental servant. Milton.

Drudger noun
1. One who drudges; a drudge.

2. A dredging box.

Drudgery noun The act of drudging; disagreeable and wearisome labor; ignoble or slavish toil.

The drudgery of penning definitions.

Macaulay.

Paradise was a place of bliss . . . without drudgery and with out sorrow.

Locke.

Syn. -- See Toll .

Drudging box See Dredging box .

Drudgingly adverb In a drudging manner; laboriously.

Druery noun [ Old French druerie .] Courtship; gallantry; love; an object of love. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.