Drown
/draʊn/noun
To die or be killed by submersion in water.
Did you know?Drown is an old Germanic word, and its early history is tied to the harsh physical experience of being overwhelmed by water rather than any mystical or ritual meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*druknąną
“to drown, sink, be drowned”
Old English
OE
druncnian
“to drown, be submerged”
Middle English
ME
drounen
“to drown, suffocate in water”
Modern English
English
drown
“to die or cause to die by submersion in water”