Part 553

Dross"less, a. Free from dross. Stevens.

Dross"y (?), a. [Compar. Drossier (?); superl. Drossiest (?).] Of, pertaining to, resembling, dross; full of dross; impure; worthless. " Drossy gold." Dryden. "Drossy rhymes." Donne. -- Dross"i*ness, n.

Drotch"el (?), n. See Drossel. [Obs.]

Drough (?), imp. of Draw. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Drought (drout), n. [OE. droght, drougth, druð, AS. drugað, from drugian to dry. See Dry, and cf. Drouth, which shows the original final sound.] 1. Dryness; want of rain or of water; especially, such dryness of the weather as affects the earth, and prevents the growth of plants; aridity.

The drought of March hath pierced to the root.

Chaucer.

In a drought the thirsty creatures cry.

Dryden.

2. Thirst; want of drink. Johnson.

3. Scarcity; lack.

A drought of Christian writers caused a dearth of all history.

Fuller.

Drought"i*ness (?), n. A state of dryness of the weather; want of rain.

Drought"y (?), a. 1. Characterized by drought; wanting rain; arid; adust.

Droughty and parched countries.

Ray.

2. Dry; thirsty; wanting drink.

Thy droughty throat.

Philips.

Drou"my (?), a. [Cf. Scot. drum, dram, melancholy, Icel prumr a moper, W. trwm heavy, sad.] Troubled; muddy. [Obs.] Bacon.

Drouth (?), n. Same as Drought. Sandys.

Another ill accident is drouth at the spindling of corn.

Bacon.

One whose drouth [thirst], Yet scarce allayed, still eyes the current stream.

Milton.

In the dust and drouth of London life.

Tennyson.