An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/dürr

by Friedrich Kluge

dürr, adjective, ‘dry, meagre, barren,’ from Middle High German dürre, Old High German durri, ‘withered, dry, lean’; corresponds to Dutch dor, Old Low German thurri, Anglo-Saxon þyrre, Gothic þaúrsus, ‘dry’ (with regard to High German rr, from Gothic rs, compare irre, Farre). From a pre-Teutonic adjective þurzu-, ‘dry, withered,’ which belongs to a root þurs, from pre-Teutonic tṛs. As a result of the restriction of the word — probably in primitively times — to denote the dryness of the throat, we have the Old Indian tṛšús, ‘greedy, panting,’ and Modern High German dürsten; as applied to the voice, or rather speech, tṛs appears in Greek τραυλός, ‘lisping,’ for *τρασυλός (compare δαυλός, ‘dense,’ for *δασυλός, Latin densus), and Old Indian tṛšṭá-s, ‘hoarse, rough (of the voice).’ With the general meaning ‘dry,’ Modern High German Darre, dörren, and their cognates are connected.