drawl

English

Etymology

From a modern frequentative form of draw, equivalent to draw +‎ -le. Compare draggle. Compare also Dutch dralen (“to drag out, delay, linger, tarry, dawdle”), Old Danish dravle (“to linger, loiter”), Icelandic dralla (“to loiter, linger”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɹɔːl/

Rhymes: -ɔːl

• (US) IPA^(key): /dɹɔl/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /dɹɑl/
• (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?) (US, paragon) IPA^(key): /dʒɹɑːw/

Verb

drawl (third-person singular simple present drawls, present participle drawling, simple past and past participle drawled)

1. (transitive) To drag on slowly and heavily; to while or dawdle away time indolently.
2. (transitive) To utter or pronounce in a dull, spiritless tone, as if by dragging out the utterance.
3. (intransitive) To move slowly and heavily; move in a dull, slow, lazy manner.
4. (intransitive) To speak with a slow, spiritless utterance, from affectation, laziness, or lack of interest.
   • Landor

     Theologians and moralists […] talk mostly in a drawling and dreaming way about it.

Translations

to speak with a drawl

• Bulgarian: говоря провлечено (govorja provlečeno)
• Dutch: lijzig spreken

• Romanian: tărăgăna (ro)
• Swedish: sluddra (sv)

Noun

drawl (plural drawls)

1. A way of speaking slowly while lengthening vowel sounds and running words together. Characteristic of some southern US accents, as well as Scots.

Translations

way of speaking slowly

• Bulgarian: провлечен говор (provlečen govor)
• Italian: strascico (it) m

• Swedish: sludder (sv), släpigt tal

See also

• brogue
• lilt
• lisp
• twang