Skip to content

The word for today is…

drub (verb):

1: to beat severely
2: to berate critically
3: to defeat decisively

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Sportswriters often use the word drub when a team they are covering is drubbed—that is, routed—but the term’s history reveals that it wasn’t always a sporting word. When drub was first used in English, it referred to a method of punishment that involved beating the soles of the accused’s feet with a stick or cudgel. The term was apparently brought to England in the 17th century by travelers who reported observing the punitive practice abroad. The ultimate origin of drub is uncertain, but the etymological culprit may be the Arabic word ḍaraba, meaning “to beat.” Over the centuries, drub developed the additional milder, and now more common, meanings of “to berate critically” and “to defeat decisively.”

If you enjoyed this Good Oil word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

Faces of the Day

Faces of the Day

On occasion, Dot Jones said she had accompanied her husband to political events at which there were protests and abuse hurled. In this instance, though, she said the couple were trying to return home and simply making their way through the airport in search of breakfast.

Members Public