To die or to cause to die by submersion in water; to be overwhelmed or submerged by something.
From Old Norse 'drukkna' meaning to drown or become drunk, from Proto-Germanic 'drunkana.' The word possibly connects 'drowning' and 'drunkenness' through the idea of being overwhelmed or unconscious.
The word 'drown' might come from the same root as 'drunk'—both describe being overwhelmed by a liquid, which is a surprisingly poetic way to think about how intoxication and drowning both involve loss of control and consciousness.
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