An archaic or dialectal word meaning drought or dryness; the state of lacking moisture or water.
From Old English 'drugð' or similar roots meaning dryness, related to 'dry.' This word represents an older way of expressing the concept that was gradually replaced by the Norman French-derived word 'drought' after 1066.
English once had two competing words for the same thing: 'dryth' from Anglo-Saxon roots and 'drought' from Norman French—the Norman version won out, showing how the language of power (Norman-French speakers) eventually dominated common speech.
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