# "Drug" as past tense of "drag" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288 "2013-01-06T22:12:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/21 "2013-01-07T05:43:01Z")
Aren’t the terms “drug,” as in a substance that makes you sluggish, and “drug,” as in something you towed behind you, directly related? In _Moby-Dick_ Melville writes of harpooning a whale with the spear’s line attached to a **drug,** then letting the whale pull the line and drug overboard. The drug consists of a square of wood; the harpoon line attaches at the center of the square. So, the whalers’ drug is towed (dragged) behind the fleeing leviathan; its purpose is to wear the animal out, that is, to make him sluggish. Thus, the two seemingly unrelated meanings come from one genesis concept. I am no language expert, so I may be very wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/22 "2013-01-07T10:28:05Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Just don’t confuse hung with hanged. I often get this wrong when talking about paintings and executed men. Even though I’m well. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/23 "2013-01-07T11:20:17Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I believe that while, in general, strong verbs are older, in this case, drug is a recent innovation … Sorry, but I’m quite convinced it’s the other way round. Just compare Swedish dra(ga), drog, dragit and German tragen, trug, getragen. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/24 "2013-01-07T11:25:36Z")
Arrgh. Ok, the way this works: 1. What is the official origin of the word. 2. What is the usual conjugation of this word. In most cases, #1 reveals that the word in question had a different origin than the word it is confused with. #2 shows that a mistaken conjugation is at the heart of whatever discrepancy we are currently discussing. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/25 "2013-01-07T14:38:36Z")
I sometimes wonder what kind of draggeds you guys are taking. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/26 "2013-01-07T14:50:08Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > Sorry, but I’m quite convinced it’s the other way round. Just compare Swedish dra(ga), drog, dragit and German tragen, trug, getragen. I think you’re probably right. The Old English cognate gives us _draw, drew_ which is a strong verb. “Drag” is a later Middle English borrowing, probably from one of the Scandinavian languages. The fact that is a borrowing is probably why it was made a weak verb in the early written sources, but that’s just an educated guess on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/27 "2013-01-07T15:46:58Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > “Drag” is a later Middle English borrowing, probably from one of the Scandinavian languages. And if I remember my language history classes correctly it was most probably “dragga” at the time. The transition from a short to a long “a” sound came along around at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/28 "2013-01-07T16:08:35Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > And if I remember my language history classes correctly it was most probably “dragga” at the time. The transition from a short to a long “a” sound came along around at that time. What do you mean by short and long a? I pronounce it /dræg/, not /dræːg/. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/29 "2013-01-07T16:57:57Z")
Eh, getting a little tense in here aren’t we? ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/30 "2013-01-08T00:07:58Z")
Well here I am with my mandatory sneak/snuck rant, but first: > [@TriPolar](#): > > Well I’ll be danged. Better than being dung. 🆒 That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/31 "2013-01-08T07:56:19Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > What do you mean by short and long a? I pronounce it /dræg/, not /dræːg/. It’s a bit hard to explain as English does not have the corresponding sounds. The best I can come up with would be _gatta_ and _gata_ (street as in various street names in York ending with _gate_) that has gone through the same transition from short to long. They are pronounce approximately like English _gutter_ and _garter_ respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/32 "2013-01-09T19:33:12Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Eh, getting a little tense in here aren’t we? You know how Athena feels about puns. Don’t make me do the thing with the doohickey. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/33 "2013-01-09T19:39:14Z")
Why, do you aspect better of us? Do we need to stop before you inflect damage? Or will you tell our grammars on us? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/34 "2013-01-09T19:56:21Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > …but that’s just an educated guess on my part. EDs are welcome here as much as WAGs. They’re just less fun. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-as-past-tense-of-drag/646288/35 "2013-01-10T07:47:55Z")
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