An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/träge

by Friedrich Kluge

träge, adj., ‘indolent, lazy,’ from MidHG. trœge, adj. (trâgo, adv.), OHG. trâgi, adj. (trâgo; adv.), ‘slow, loth, wearied, lazy’; corresponding to Du. traag, AS. trâg, ‘reluctant, difficult.’ The assumed primit. Teut. *trêgu-z, ‘reluctant, loth,’ belongs to an OTeut. root trē̆g, ‘to be sad, disheartened,’ which appears in Goth. trîgo, ‘sadness,’ OIc. tregr, ‘reluctant, slow’ (trege, ‘pain’), AS. trëga, ‘pain,’ OSax. trâgi, ‘vexation’ (allied to trëgan, str. vb., ‘to be sorry’). OSwed. trögher (ModSwed. trög), ‘lazy,’ has a graded form, ô, of the root vowel ē̆. Sans. drâgh, ‘to torment,’ has also been supposed to contain the Aryan root drē̆gh. The following word is not allied.