Drill
/drɪl/noun
A tool or machine used for making holes; also, repeated training or practice.
Did you know?English drill is a double-life word: the tool sense came through Dutch from a Germanic root for turning/spinning, while the military/practice sense grew from the idea of repeated, disciplined action.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ter-
“to rub, twist, bore”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þrīhaną
“to turn, whirl, bore”
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch
drillen
“to bore, turn round”
16th Century
English
drille
“to bore a hole; to make spin or turn”
18th Century
English
drill
“repeated military training; practice by repetition”
Modern English
English
drill
“a tool for making holes; repeated practice or training”