dright
Meanings
- A multitude; army; host.
- Alternative form of drighten
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Middle English drihte, from Old English driht, dryht (“a multitude, an army, company, body of retainers, nation, a people, men”), from Proto-West Germanic *druhti, from Proto-Germanic *druhtiz (“troop, following”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ- (“to hold, hold fast, support”). Cognate with Old Frisian dregte (“people, crowd, escort, retinue, host”), Middle Low German drucht (“band, war-team”), Middle High German truht (“multitude, offspring”), Icelandic drótt (“people, entourage, bodyguard”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍄𐍃 (gadrauhts, “soldier”). Related also to German Truchsess (“steward”), from Middle High German truhtsæze (“chairman of a multitude, steward”, literally “sitting one/presider next to/in front of a multitude". The meaning "multitude" survives in present day German in the sense of "representing a court”), from Old High German truhtsāzzo.