drub

From Middle English drob, drof, from Old English drōb, drōf (“turbid; dreggy; dirty”), from Proto-West Germanic drōbī, from Proto-Germanic drōbuz (“turbid”).

1625, of uncertain origin: * Perhaps from Arabic ضَرَبَ (ḍaraba, “to beat, hit”), or perhaps originally from a dialectal word (Kent) drab, variant of drop, dryp, drib (“to beat”), from Middle English drepen (preterit drop, drap, drape (“struck, killed”)) from Old English drepan (“to strike”), from Proto-West Germanic drepan, from Proto-Germanic drepaną (“to beat, bump, strike, slay”), from Proto-Indo-European dʰreb⁽ʰ⁾- (“to strike, crush, kill”). Linguist Guus Kroonen suggests that it reflects the Proto-Germanic verb drubbōną, iterative to *drabaną (“to hit, hew”), as found in Norwegian drubba (“to fall over”). Akin to Old Frisian drop (“a blow, beat”), Old High German treffan (“to hit”), Old Norse drepa (“to strike, slay, kill”). Compare also dub. More at drape.