dreng

English

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)

1. (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^[1], 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^[2], 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^[3], 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.

Alternative forms

• drenge

Albanian

Etymology

Variant of drenjë, from Proto-Indo-European *dreu- (“tree”). Occurs in Cham Albanian.

Adjective

dreng (feminine drenge)

1. 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)

1. boy, lad

Declension

Declension of dreng

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): /drɛnd͡ʒ/, /drind͡ʒ/
• (from Old Norse drengr) IPA^(key): /drɛnɡ/, /drinɡ/

Noun

dreng (plural drenges)

1. (poetic) A warrior or soldier; a person who fights.
   1. A follower of a lord; a member of a host.
   2. (rare) A lord or chieftain.
2. (rare) A dreng (military vassal)

Descendants

• → Medieval Latin: drengus
  • → English: dreng, 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)

1. a farmhand
2. 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

1. (poetic) warrior; soldier

Inflection

Declension of dreng (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	drenġ	drenġas
accusative	drenġ	drenġas
genitive	drenġes	drenġa
dative	drenġe	drenġum

Alternative forms

• drench

Descendants

• Middle English: dreng, dranch, dring, dringch, ðring
  • → Medieval Latin: drengus
    • → English: dreng, drenge
  • >? Scots: dring