Word of the Day

: August 31, 2013

drub

verb DRUB

What It Means

1 : to beat severely

2 : to berate critically

3 : to defeat decisively

drub in Context

After being drubbed by the worst team in the league, the hometown players slunk into the locker room with their heads hung low.

"Cotchett's book drubbed Stern, Keating and other schemers for callously endangering trusting individuals to make a buck." - From an article by John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury News (California), July 20, 2013

Did You Know?

Sportswriters often use "drub," but the term's history reveals that it wasn't always a sporting word. When "drub" was first used in English, it referred to a method of punishment that involved beating the soles of a culprit's feet with a stick or cudgel. The term was apparently brought to England in the 17th century by travelers who reported observing the punitive practice in Asia. Etymologists are uncertain of the ultimate origin of "drub," but some have speculated that it may have evolved from the Arabic word "ḍaraba," meaning "to beat."