drawl

Meaning

Verb

1. To drag on slowly and heavily; to while or dawdle away time indolently.
2. To utter or pronounce in a dull, spiritless tone, as if by dragging out the utterance.
3. To move slowly and heavily; move in a dull, slow, lazy manner.
4. To speak with a slow, spiritless utterance, from affectation, laziness, or lack of interest.

Noun

A way of speaking slowly while lengthening vowel sounds and running words together. Characteristic of some Southern US accents, as well as Broad Australian, Broad New Zealand and Scots.

Synonyms

shoot

draught

fire

🔥

haul

tow

howl

tug

twitch

draw

draw out

drag

pull

speak in a drawl

prolong syllables

brogue

speak in a lengthened tone

burr

elongate

extend

lengthen

mumble

prolong

slur

stretch

stutter

train

🚋

speak slowly

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɹɔːl/

Etymology

Cognate with Dutch: dralen

Cognate with Icelandic: dralla

In summary

From a modern frequentative form of draw, equivalent to draw + -le. Compare draggle. Compare also Dutch dralen (“to drag out, delay, linger, tarry, dawdle”), Old Danish dravle (“to linger, loiter”), Icelandic dralla (“to loiter, linger”).