drei

See also: Drei and Dréi

Bavarian

Bavarian numbers (edit)
[a], [b] ←  2 3 4  → [a], [b]
    Cardinal: drei

Alternative forms

  • droi (South Central Bavarian)

Etymology

From Middle High German drī, from Old High German drī, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /d̥rɑɛ̯/
    • Audio:(file)
  • IPA(key): /d̥ræː/ (East Central, Vienna)

Numeral

drei

  1. three

Central Franconian

Etymology

  • Inherited from Middle High German drī, from Old High German dri, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /dʀei̯/ (Ripuarian)
      • In proper pronunciation, Ripuarian drei does not rhyme with zwei /tsʋɛi̯/, but younger speakers may merge these diphthongs.
    • IPA(key): /dʀɛi̯/, /dʀʌi̯/ (Moselle Franconian)

    Numeral

    drei

    1. (most dialects) three

    Descendants

    • Hunsrik: drei
    • Luxembourgish: dräi

    German

    German numbers (edit)
    30[a], [b]
     ←  2 3 4  → 
        Cardinal: drei
        Ordinal: dritte
        Sequence adverb: drittens
        Ordinal abbreviation: 3.
        Adverbial: dreimal
        Adverbial abbreviation: 3-mal
        Multiplier: dreifach
        Multiplier abbreviation: 3-fach
        Fractional: Drittel
        Polygon: Dreieck
        Polygon abbreviation: 3-Eck
        Polygonal adjective: dreieckig
        Polygonal adjective abbreviation: 3-eckig

    Alternative forms

    • drey (obsolete)
    • Drei (when used substantively)

    Etymology

    From Middle High German and Old High German drī, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes. Compare Dutch drie, English three, Danish tre.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /dʁaɪ̯/, [dʁaɪ̯]
    • Audio:(file)
    • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)
    • Rhymes: -aɪ̯

    Numeral

    drei

    1. (cardinal number) three (numerical value represented by the Arabic numeral 3; or describing a set with three elements)
      • 1845, Carl von Holtei, Theater. In einem Bande, Breslau, page 370:
        Wenn also diese Küsse zu dem letzten
        Gerechnet werden, ist die Summe drei,
        Wie aller guten Dinge dreie sind.
        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

    Declension

    • In adjectival use (that is, with a following noun):
      • Nominative, dative, and accusative are always uninflected.
      • The genitive case takes the form dreier if no article or pronoun is preceding: Vater dreier Kinder – “a father of three children”; but: der Vater der drei Kinder – “the father of the three children”. The form dreier is somewhat elevated; even in formal writing it is sometimes more natural to avoid it (Vater von drei Kindern).
    • In substantival use (that is, without a following noun):
      • Nominative and accusative are uninflected in the contemporary standard language. The form dreie still exists in colloquial German, chiefly in eastern Germany.
      • The dative case may take the form dreien: Ich sprach mit dreien. – “I spoke with three (people).” This rule is usually observed in formal standard German; but when a specification in the genitive case (or with von) is following, the bare form is more common: Ich sprach mit drei der Zeugen. – “I spoke with three of the witnesses.” In colloquial German, dreien is never obligatory.

    Coordinate terms

    Derived terms

    Further reading

    • drei” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
    • drei” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
    • drei” in Duden online
    • drei on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de

    German Low German

    Alternative forms

    • dree (some dialects)

    Etymology

    From Middle Low German drê, drî, drie, from Old Saxon thrīe, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.

    Ultimately cognate to German drei, Dutch drie, English three, Plautdietsch dree.

    Numeral

    drei

    1. (Low Prussian, Münsterland) three (3)

    See also

    Hunsrik

    Hunsrik numbers (edit)
    30
     ←  2 3 4  → 
        Cardinal: drei
        Ordinal: dritt

    Etymology

  • Inherited from Central Franconian drei, from Middle High German drī, from Old High German dri, from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þrīz, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.[1] Cognate with German drei and Luxembourgish dräi.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈtraɪ̯/
    • Rhymes: -aɪ̯
    • Syllabification: drei

    Numeral

    drei

    1. three
      Meer hon drei Kinner.
      We have three children.

    References

    1. ^ Boll, Piter Kehoma (2021), “drei”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português, 3rd edition (overall work in Portuguese), Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch, page 38, column 1

    Middle English

    Etymology 1

    Adjective

    drei

    1. alternative form of drye

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    drei

    1. alternative form of dregh

    Norwegian Bokmål

    Verb

    drei

    1. imperative of dreie

    Pennsylvania German

    Pennsylvania German cardinal numbers
     <  2 3 4  > 
        Cardinal : drei
        Ordinal : dritt

    Etymology

    From Middle High German and Old High German drī. Compare German drei, Dutch drie, English three.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /draɪ̯/

    Numeral

    drei

    1. three

    Rade

    Etymology

    From Proto-Chamic *drɛy, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hadiʀi, from Proto-Austronesian *Sadiʀi.

    Pronoun

    drei

    1. we (inclusive)

    Classifier

    drei

    1. classifier for animals

    References

    • James A. Tharp; Y-Bhăm Ƀuôn-yǎ (1980), A Rhade-English Dictionary with English-Rhade Finderlist (Pacific Linguistics. Series C-58)‎[1], Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, →ISBN, archived from the original on 1 November 2021, page 26

    Sranan Tongo

    Etymology

    From English dry.

    Adjective

    drei

    1. dry

    Derived terms