Etymology. From Middle English driven, from Old English drīfan (to drive, force, move), from Proto-West Germanic *drīban, from Proto-Germanic *drībaną (to drive), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (to drive, push), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (support, hold).
Where does the word drive originate from?
Old English drifan "to compel or urge to move, impel in some direction or manner; to hunt (deer), pursue; to rush against" (class I strong verb; past tense draf, past participle drifen), from Proto-Germanic *dreibanan (source also of Old Frisian driva"I lead, impel, drive (away)," Old Saxon driban, Dutch drijven, Old ...
When did people start using the word drive?
Yes, the word drive existed in English before the invention of vehicles, somewhere around 1200, and was first applied to carriages in the mid-1600s.
What is the Latin root for drive?
-pel- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "drive; push. '' It is related to the root -puls-. This meaning is found in such words as: compel, dispel, expel, impel, propel, propeller, repel, repellant.