dril

Danish

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

dril c (singular definite drillen, plural indefinite driller)

1. drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus)

Further reading

• dril on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

Etymology 2

See drille (“to tease”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /drel/, [d̥ʁælˀ]

Noun

dril n or c

1. banter, kidding, teasing

Synonyms

• drilleri

Verb

dril

1. imperative of drille

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /drɪl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dril
• Rhymes: -ɪl

Etymology 1

Likely borrowed from English drill or French drill (see the oldest quotation), perhaps from an African language.

Noun

dril m (plural drillen, no diminutive)

1. a drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) [from late 18th c.]
   • 1793, Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon, "Bijvoegzel tot de natuurlijke historie van de Oranga-Outangs", De algemeene en byzondere natuurlyke historie, addendum to Volume 11 (part XIV, page 24), tr. by J. D. Pasteur, publ. by A. Blussé & son, page 2.

     Het is ook datzelfde dier, dat BOSMAN Smitten genoemd heeft, dat verscheiden reizigers Barris, andere Dril en enige andere Quimpezé genoemd hebben, […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1882, Charles Darwin, De afstamming van den mensch en de seksueele teeltkeus, tr. by Hermanus Hartogh Heys van Zouteveen Vol. 2, publ. by J. J. van Breederode, page 240.

     Bij den dril (Cynocephalus leucophaeus) zijn de wijfjes en jongen veel bleeker gekleurd, met minder groen, dan de volwassen mannetjes.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Related terms

• mandril

Etymology 2

Borrowed from German Drill, Drillich, from Middle High German drilich, from Old High German drilīh, from Latin trilīx.

Noun

dril n (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. drill (dense, stout fabric, often of linen or cotton)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

dril

1. inflection of drillen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdrɪl/
• Rhymes: -drɪl
• Hyphenation: dril

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Dutch dril (“drill”), from German Drill, Drillich, from Middle High German drilich, from Old High German drilīh, from Latin trilīx.

Noun

dril (plural dril-dril)

1. drill: a strong, durable cotton fabric with a strong bias (diagonal) in the weave

Etymology 2

Internationalism.

Noun

dril (plural dril-dril)

1. drill:
   1. an activity done as an exercise or practice (especially a military exercise), particularly in preparation for some possible future event or occurrence
   2. a short and highly repeatable sports training exercise designed to hone a particular skill that may be useful in competition

Synonyms

• tubian
• latih tubi (Standard Malay)

Derived terms

• didril
• mengedril

Further reading

• “dril”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʲɾʲɪlʲ/

Noun

dril f (genitive singular drile, nominative plural drilí)

1. alternative form of drithle

Declension

Declension of dril (second declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative dril drilí vocative a dhril a dhrilí genitive drile drilí dative dril drilí forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an dril na drilí genitive na drile na ndrilí dative leis an dril don dril leis na drilí

Mutation

Mutated forms of dril

radical	lenition	eclipsis
dril	dhril	ndril

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English drill.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈdɾiw/ [ˈdɾiʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈdɾil/ [ˈdɾiɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈdɾil/ [ˈdɾiɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈdɾi.li/

• Rhymes: -iw, -il
• Hyphenation: dril

Noun

dril m (plural drils)

1. drill (white English linen fabric, used in Brazil, for men's suits)

Further reading

• “dril”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “dril”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “dril”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish drithle. Cognate with Irish drithle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾil/

Noun

dril f (genitive singular drile, plural drilean)

1. a drop of dew
2. tipsiness (state of being slightly drunk)
3. spark
4. sparkle

Mutation

Mutation of dril

radical	lenition
dril	dhril

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English drill. Doublet of terliz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɾil/ [ˈd̪ɾil]
• Rhymes: -il
• Syllabification: dril

Noun

dril m (plural driles)

1. drill (fabric)

Further reading

• “dril”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /drɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɪl

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English drill.

Noun

dril m (plural driliau)

1. drill

   Synonyms: tyllwr, taradr

Related terms

• dril llaw (“hand drill”)
• dril piler (“pillar drill”)

Related terms

• drilio (“to drill”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English drill.

Noun

dril f (plural driliau, diminutive drilen)

1. drill (furrow for sowing seed)

   Synonyms: cwys, rhych

2. drill (implement for sowing seed in such a furrow)

Mutation

Mutated forms of dril

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
dril	ddril	nril	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Etymology 3

Noun

dril

1. soft mutation of tril (“trill”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of tril

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
tril	dril	nhril	thril

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “drill”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “dril”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “dril”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies