Introduction
Dragon tears.
The etymology of dragon (Classical Greek δράκων drákōn) is not certain, but is traditionally linked to δέρκομαι dérkomai: "to see, to watch".
"Derkomai…really?" Not so odd: The aorist active participle (m.) of δέρκομαι dérkomai is δρακών drakṓn—the only difference from δράκων drákōn is the placement of the accent. A substantive use of the aorist active participle could be translated as "he who watches, he who stares". It's unclear if the Athenian lawgiver Draco/Δρακων from whom we get the word draconian is named "Dragon" or "Watcher"
The same root—*derḱ-—appears in the compound *dr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru: "tear". *h₂eḱru, while literally meaning "bitter" or "sting", seems to have meant "tear" on its own at an early stage. This is preserved in Anatolian, Tocharian, Baltic, and Indo-Iranian. In Armenian, Hellenic, Germanic, Celtic, and Italic, the compound form is preserved instead *dr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru (haplologized to *drh₂éḱru, *dh₂éḱru), interpretable as "eye-tears", "eye-stings", or "bitter-eyes".
The word *drh₂éḱru has had a very unstable plural, due to the combination of the unusual stem ending and the semantics of "tear(s)" easily falling into plurale tantum territory:
- Both Welsh and Classical Greek re-derived a singular from the collective *dáḱruh₂: deigryn and δάκρυον dákruon
- Armenian արցունք arcʿunkʿ is derived from the Old Armenian արտասուք artasukʿ: "tears"; the Old Armenian singular արտօսր artōsr also has an unexpected s copied from the plural
- In Germanic *tahrą, the difference in stressed syllable triggered Verner's Law only in the plural form giving singular stem *tahr- (really /taxr-/) but plural stem *tagr- (really /taɣr-/). East Germanic levelled the stem to *tagr-, while North and West levelled the stem to *tahr-.
Teaser
Dracula,
dragon,
rankle,
tarragon,
tear,
lachrymose
Full Text
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Proto-Indo-European *derḱ- to see, eye
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Proto-Indo-European *dérḱeti imperfective
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Hellenic
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Classical Greek δέρκομαι dérkomai to see, to watch, to gleam 3P dérketai
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Classical Greek δρακών drakṓn aorist active participle masculine, "watching"/"having watched"/"he who watches"
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Classical Greek δράκων drákōn dragon, serpent oblique steam drákont-
- Greek δράκοντας drákontas dragon
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Byzantine Greek δράκος drákos
- Greek δράκος drákos dragon, monster
- Coptic ⲇⲣⲁⲕⲱⲛ drakōn dragon, serpent
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Hebrew דרקון drakón serpent, dragon
- Yiddish דראַקאָן drakon dragon
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Latin drāco dragon, serpent acc. dracōnem
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Central Romance
- Italian drago from the nom.
- Italian dragone from the acc.
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Sicilian dragu
- Maltese dragun dragon, dragoon
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Pre-Albanian *dragɔ̄n
- Albanian dragua dragon, hero, dragon-slayer
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Insular Romance
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Eastern Romance
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Romanian drac devil definite form: dracul
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Pre-Albanian *drak
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Western Romance
- Spanish drago dragon tree from the nom.
- Spanish dragón dragon, dragoon
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Old French dragon
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French dragon dragon, dragoon
- English dragoon
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Swedish dragon dragoon, tarragon
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English dragon
- Japanese ドラゴン doragon (Western) dragon
- Irish dragan dragon, tarragon
- Yiddish דראַקאָן drakon dragon
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Brythonic *drėg
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Welsh draig dragon
- Welsh Y Ddraig Goch The Red Dragon (on the flag of Wales)
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West Germanic *drakō
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Old English draca dragon
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Frankish *draka
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Old High German trahho
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German Drache dragon re-modelled to Latin, supported by Central German dialect forms without the d > t change
- Czech drak dragon, kite, glider
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Old Saxon
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Old Norse dreki dragon, dragon ship (drakkar)
- Danish drage dragon, kite, hang-glider, dragon ship
- Icelandic dreki dragon
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Swedish drake dragon, kite, dragon ship pl. drakar
- English Draco
- Translingual Draco taxonomic genus of gliding lizards
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Latin dracunculus
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Western Romance
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Old French draoncle a sore, a boil
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Classical Greek δράκαινα drákaina
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Latin dracaena
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Central Romance
- Translingual Dracaena taxonomic genus of dragon trees, taxonomic genus of caiman lizards
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Classical Greek δρακόντιον edder-wort, dragonwort
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Arabic طرخون ṭarḵūn tarragon different plant with similar snakey leaves
- Italian targone tarragon
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Medieval Latin tragum
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Middle French
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French estragon
- Greek εστραγκόν estragkón tarragon
- Spanish estragón tarragon
- English tarragon
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Swedish dragon dragoon, tarragon
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Persian ترخون tarxun tarragon
- Armenian թարխուն tʿarxun tarragon
- Georgian ტარხუნა ṭarxuna tarragon
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Ottoman Turkish طرخون tarhun tarragon, alecost
- Turkish tarhun tarragon
- Romanian tarhon tarragon
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Classical Greek Δράκων Drákōn personal name: Dragon?, Watcher?
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Classical Greek Δράκων Drákōn personal name: Dragon?, Watcher?
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Proto-Indo-European *dr̥ḱeti variant imperfective
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Celtic *driketi
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Celtic *ati-driketi "again-see"
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Proto-Indo-European *dedórḱe reduplicative stative
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Celtic *-dark-
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Celtic *ad-kom-dark- "toward-with-see"
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Old Irish ad·condairc saw suppletive perfect of ad·cí
- Irish chonaic saw suppletive past of feic
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Hellenic
- Classical Greek δέδορκα perfect of dérkomai
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Indo-Iranian *dadárća
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Indo-Aryan
- Sanskrit 𑀤𑀤𑀭𑁆𑀰 dadárśa saw suppletive perfect of páśyati
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Iranian
- Avestan 𐬛𐬁𐬛𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬯𐬀 dādarᵊsa
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Proto-Indo-European *dorḱéyeti causative
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Germanic *tarhijaną
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East Germanic
- Gothic (𐌲𐌰)𐍄𐌰𐍂𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ga)tarhjan to mark, to note, to draw attention to
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Indo-Iranian *darćáyati
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Indo-Aryan
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Sanskrit 𑀤𑀭𑁆𑀰𑀬𑀢𑀺 darśayati to show, to demonstrate, to make seen, to pay for
- Pali 𑀤𑀲𑁆𑀲𑁂𑀢𑀺 dasseti
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Sauraseni 𑀤𑀲𑁆𑀲𑁂𑀤𑀺 dassedi
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Northwestern Sauraseni
- Punjabi ਦੱਸਣਾ dassaṇā to tell, to explain, to show
- Hindi दर्शाना darśānā to show, to exhibit
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Proto-Indo-European *dr̥ḱtós seen, visible adjective
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Germanic *turhtaz bright, clear, well-lit
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West Germanic
- Old English torht bright, radiant, glorious
- Old High German zoraht bright, clear
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Indo-Iranian *dr̥štás seen, visible, apparent
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Indo-Aryan
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Sanskrit 𑀤𑀾𑀱𑁆𑀝 dṛṣṭá visible, apparent, seen, noticed
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Magadhi
- Assamese দিঠক dithok reality
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Pali 𑀤𑀺𑀝𑁆𑀞 diṭṭha seen
- Pali 𑀤𑀺𑀝𑁆𑀞𑀥𑀫𑁆𑀫 diṭṭhadhamma the visible world, the mortal world
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Iranian
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Proto-Indo-European *dr̥ḱtis sight, seeing abstract action noun
- Albanian dritë light
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Indo-Iranian *dŕ̥štiš
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Indo-Aryan
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Sanskrit 𑀤𑀾𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀺 dṛ́ṣṭi sight, seeing, vision, theory, eye, delusion (Buddhism)
- Pali 𑀤𑀺𑀝𑁆𑀞𑀺 diṭṭhi view, belief, theory, dogma
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Hindi दृष्टि dŕṣṭi vision, sight
- Hindi दृष्टि पटल dŕṣṭi paṭal retina lit "sight screen"
- Punjabi ਦ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟੀ driśṭī sight, vision
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Sanskrit 𑀆𑀢𑁆𑀫𑀤𑀾𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀺 ātmadṛṣṭi self-view, the delusion that the self exists
- Kushean 𑀆𑀢𑁆𑀫𑀤𑀾𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀺 ātmadṛṣṭi
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Proto-Indo-European *dérḱmn̥ a look, a sight action or result noun
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Hellenic
- Classical Greek δέργμα dérgma a look, a glance, a sight
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Proto-Indo-European *dr̥ḱos see-er
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Hellenic
- Classical Greek δράκος drákos eye
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Proto-Indo-European *dr̥ḱeh₂
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Celtic *drikā face, front, thing seen
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Brythonic
- Welsh drych mirror, image, form
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Celtic *ɸaredrikā forefront, thing seen
- Old Irish airdrech a phantom, a kind of ghost
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Proto-Indo-European *derḱ-áno- see again?
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Old Armenian տեսանեմ tesanem to see, to visit, to watch, to know
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Armenian տեսնել tesnel to see, to examine, to meet, to visit, to know
- Armenian տեսանյութ tesanyutʿ video, footage
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Old Armenian լրտես lrtes spy, scout, emissary
- Armenian լրտես lrtes spy, secret agent
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Proto-Indo-European *dr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru tear(s) lit. "eye-bitter" "eye-sting"
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Proto-Indo-European *drh₂éḱru haplology
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Germanic *trahnuz a tear
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West Germanic
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Frankish *trān
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Dutch traan a tear, fish oil
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Old High German tra(h)an
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Proto-Indo-European *dh₂éḱru further haplology
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Pre-Armenian *artawr a tear
- Old Armenian արտօսր artōsr a tear with 's' from the plural
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Pre-Armenian *artaḱu-? tears
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Old Armenian արտասուք artasukʿ tears
- Armenian արցունք arcʿunkʿ a tear
- Armenian արտասուք artasukʿ a tear, to weep, to lament re-borrowing
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Hellenic
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Classical Greek δάκρυ dákru a tear, sap
- Greek δάκρυ dákry a tear
- English dacryo-
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Classical Greek δακρύω dakrúō I weep
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Classical Greek δακρυμα dakryma a tear re-derived noun as a deverbal
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Old Latin 𐌃𐌀𐌂𐌓𐌖𐌌𐌀 dacruma a tear
- Latin lacruma a tear archaic
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Old Latin 𐌃𐌀𐌂𐌓𐌉𐌌𐌀 dacrima a tear variant
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Latin lacrima a tear
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Central Romance
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Eastern Romance
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Western Romance
- French larme a tear, a drop
- Spanish lágrima a tear
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Latin lacrimalis of tears, related to tears
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Latin lacrimosus full of tears, lamentable
- English lachrymose partly re-modelled as if Greek
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Latin lacrimare to weep, to shed tears
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Central Romance
- Italian lacrimàre to weep, to drip, to mourn
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Eastern Romance
- Romanian a lăcrima to weep
- Spanish lagrimar
- Spanish lacrimar
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Vulgar Latin *lacrimidiare
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Eastern Romance
- Aromanian lãcãrmedz to weep
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Western Romance
- French larmoyer to weep, to whine, to drip
- Spanish lagrimear
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Northwest Indo-European *dáḱrom
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Celtic *dakrom a tear
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Germanic *tahrą a tear plural stem *tagr-
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East Germanic
- Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌲𐍂 tagr a tear singular stem levelled to plural stem
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North Germanic
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Old Norse tár a tear
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Danish tår a drop, a sip
- Danish tåre a tear originally a plural
- Icelandic tár a tear, a drop, a sip
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West Germanic
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Old English tear a tear
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Old High German zahar
- German Zähre a tear archaic
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Germanic *tahrijaną to weep, to shed tears
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East Germanic
- Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌲𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 tagrjan to weep, to shed tears
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West Germanic
- Old English tieran to weep, to water (of eyes)
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Italic *dakrom
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Old Latin 𐌃𐌀𐌂𐌓𐌖𐌌𐌀 dacruma a tear
- Latin lacruma a tear archaic
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Old Latin 𐌃𐌀𐌂𐌓𐌉𐌌𐌀 dacrima a tear variant
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Latin lacrima a tear
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Central Romance
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Eastern Romance
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Western Romance
- French larme a tear, a drop
- Spanish lágrima a tear
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Latin lacrimalis of tears, related to tears
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Latin lacrimosus full of tears, lamentable
- English lachrymose partly re-modelled as if Greek
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Latin lacrimare to weep, to shed tears
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Central Romance
- Italian lacrimàre to weep, to drip, to mourn
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Eastern Romance
- Romanian a lăcrima to weep
- Spanish lagrimar
- Spanish lacrimar
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Vulgar Latin *lacrimidiare
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Eastern Romance
- Aromanian lãcãrmedz to weep
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Western Romance
- French larmoyer to weep, to whine, to drip
- Spanish lagrimear
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Proto-Indo-European *dáḱruh₂ tears collective
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Celtic *dakrū tears
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Brythonic *dėgr
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Welsh deigr tears archaic
- Welsh deigryn a tear new singular derived from deigr with -yn singulative suffix
- Welsh dagrau tears new regular plural
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Hellenic
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Classical Greek δάκρυα dákrua tears
- Classical Greek δάκρυον dákruon a tear back-formed from dákrua
Visual
Collected English words
Dracula,
dragoon,
dragon,
drake,
drakkar,
Draco,
Draco,
rankle,
Dracaena,
tarragon,
draconian,
train oil,
dacryo-,
tear,
lacrimal,
lachrymose
Footnotes