# drug

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɹʌɡ/ · frequency rank #1,422

## Definitions
1. A substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, or modify a chemical process in the body for a specific purpose.
2. A psychoactive substance, especially one which is illegal and addictive, ingested for recreational use, such as cocaine.
3. Anything, such as a substance, emotion, or action, to which one is addicted.
4. Any commodity that lies on hand, or is not salable; an article of slow sale, or in no demand.
5. Ellipsis of drugstore.

## Etymology
From Middle English drogge (“medicine”), from Middle French drogue, drocque (“tincture, pharmaceutical product”) (c. 1462), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German droge, as in droge vate (“dry vats, dry barrels”), mistaking droge for the contents, which were usually dried herbs, plants or wares. Droge comes from Middle Dutch drōghe (“dry”), from Old Dutch drōgi (“dry”), from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (“dry, hard”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ- (“to strengthen; become hard or solid”), from *dʰer- (“to hold, hold fast, support”). Cognate with English dry, Dutch droog (“dry”), German trocken (“dry”).

## Easily confused with
- **due** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-due)
- **dry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dry)
- **duo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-duo)
- **dug** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dug)
- **dub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dub)
- **duh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-duh)
- **DUI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dui)
- **dun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dun)
- **dum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dum)
- **dup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dup)
- **dud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dud)
- **duc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-duc)
- **dur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dur)
- **dua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dua)
- **drum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-drum)
- **dung** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-dung)
- **drugs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-drugs)
- **drunk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-drunk)
- **drums** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-drums)
- **druid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/drug-vs-druid)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ddrug`, `drgu`, `drrug`, `drugg`, `durg`, `rdug`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/drug