Drear"ing, n. Sorrow. [Obs.] Spenser.
Drear"i*some (-sm), a. Very dreary. Halliwell.
Drear"y (drr"), a. [Compar. Drearier (?); superl. Dreariest.] [OE. dreori, dreri, AS. dreórig, sad; akin to G. traurig, and prob. to AS. dreósan to fall, Goth. driusan. Cf. Dross, Drear, Drizzle, Drowse.] 1. Sorrowful; distressful. [Obs.] " Dreary shrieks." Spenser.
2. Exciting cheerless sensations, feelings, or associations; comfortless; dismal; gloomy. " Dreary shades." Dryden. "The dreary ground." Prior.
Full many a dreary anxious hour.
Keble.
Johnson entered on his vocation in the most dreary part of that dreary interval which separated two ages of prosperity.
Macaulay.
Drec"che (?), v. t. [AS. dreccan, dreccean.] 1. To vex; to torment; to trouble. [Obs.]
As man that in his dream is drecched sore.
Chaucer.
Drec"che, v. i. To delay. [Obs.] Gower.
Dredge (drj), n. [F. drège, dreige, fish net, from a word akin to E. draw; cf. D. dreg, dregge, small anchor, dregnet dragnet. √73. See Draw.] 1. Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as: (a) A dragnet for taking up oysters, etc., from their beds. (b) A dredging machine. (c) An iron frame, with a fine net attached, used in collecting animals living at the bottom of the sea.