An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Drohne

by Friedrich Kluge

Drohne, f., ‘drone.’ The strict HG. form is Trehne, Trene (so still in Saxony and Austria), according to MidHG. trëne, trën, OHG. trëno, m. Drohne is a LG. form derived from Sax. drân, plur. drâni, to which AS. drân, plur. drœ̂n, E. drone, correspond; both point to Goth. *drainus, *drênus, while OHG. trëno assumes perhaps Goth. *drina; the relation between the theoretical Goth. forms has not yet been definitely fixed. The base drē̆n seems to appear in dröhnen (Goth. drunjus, ‘loud sound’). From the same root probably a Gr. term for ‘bee’ is formed — τεμθρήνη, ‘a sort of wasp or humble-bee' (also ἀνθρήνη, ‘wild bee’? — comp. too τενθρηδών, ανθρηδών), also Lacon. θρώναξ, ‘drone.’ Biene, like Drohne, is a primit. Teut. term. See the following word.