dree v.

late 14c., druggen, "work hard, especially at servile, monotonous, or uninteresting work," (and compare druggunge, mid-13c.), probably from a variant of Old English dreogan"to work, suffer, endure," from Proto-Germanic *dreugana (source also of Old Saxon driogan, Old Norse drygja "to carry out, accomplish," Gothic driugan "serve as a soldier"). Related: Drudged; drudging. The surname is from 13c., probably unrelated, from Old French dragie "a mixture of grains sown together," thus, a grower of this crop.

late 14c., "to undergo or suffer" (especially without breaking); also "to continue in existence," from Old French endurer (12c.) "make hard, harden; bear, tolerate; keep up, maintain," from Latin indurare "make hard," in Late Latin "harden (the heart) against," from in- (from PIE root *en "in") + durare "to harden," from durus "hard," from PIE *dru-ro-, suffixed variant form of root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast."

Replaced the important Old English verb dreogan (past tense dreag, past participle drogen), which survives in dialectal dree. Related: Endured; endures.