Old English edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Germanic *tedrībaną, *twizdrībaną (to scatter), equivalent to tō- +‎ drīfan. Cognate with Old Frisian tōdrīva, Old High German zitrīban.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /toːˈdriː.fɑn/, [toːˈdriː.vɑn]

Verb edit

tōdrīfan

  1. to drive apart, scatter, dispel
    • c. 1000, Anonymous, Beowulf, 544-5
      Ða wit ætsomne on sæ wæron
      fif nihta fyrst oþ þæt unc flod todraf.
      We were together there in the sea
      for five nights' time until the tide drove us apart.

Conjugation edit

Descendants edit

  • Middle English: todriven