Etymology Map
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Dregs

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means the sediment at the bottom of a liquid; the most worthless part

Where does the word "dregs" come from? It comes from Old Norse dreggjar, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
dreggjar
Old Norse · medieval
"sediment"
sediment, lees
2
Stage 2 of 3
dreg
Middle English · 1300s
"sediment"
borrowed in the north of England
3
Stage 3 of 3
dregs
English · 1500s
"sediment; the worst part"
'the dregs of society' dates from the 1500s
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Read the full story

Dregs’s story begins in Old Norse: dreggjar meant “sediment.” Sediment, lees. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as dreg. Borrowed in the north of England. It reached English by 1500s as dregs. 'the dregs of society' dates from the 1500s. Today, dregs means the sediment at the bottom of a liquid; the most worthless part.