Old English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Verb

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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

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Descendants

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  • Middle English: todriven