DRILL

I. verb Etymology: Dutch ~en Date: 1619 transitive verb 1. to fix something in the mind or habit pattern of by repetitive instruction , to impart or communicate by repetition , to train or exercise in military ~, 2. a. to bore or drive a hole in, to make by piercing action , to shoot with or as if with a gun, c. to propel (as a ball) with force or accuracy , to hit with force , intransitive verb to make a hole with a ~, to engage in an exercise, ~ability noun ~able adjective ~er noun II. noun Date: 1611 an instrument with an edged or pointed end for making holes in hard substances by revolving or by a succession of blows, the act or exercise of training soldiers in marching and in executing prescribed movements with a weapon, 3. a physical or mental exercise aimed at perfecting facility and skill especially by regular practice, a formal exercise by a team of marchers, the approved, correct, or usual procedure for accomplishing something ; routine , 4. a marine snail ( Urosalpinx cinerea ) destructive to oysters by boring through their shells and feeding on the soft parts, any of several mollusks related to the ~, a ~ing sound, III. noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1644 a western African baboon ( Man~us leucophaeus syn. Papio leucophaeus ) having a black face and brown coat and closely related to the typical man~s, IV. noun Etymology: perhaps from ~ small stream, from obsolete ~ to trickle, drip Date: 1727 1. a shallow furrow or trench into which seed is sown, a row of seed sown in such a furrow, a planting implement that makes holes or furrows, drops in the seed and sometimes fertilizer, and covers them with earth, V. transitive verb Date: circa 1740 to sow (seeds) by dropping along a shallow furrow, 2. to sow with seed or set with seedlings inserted in ~s, to distribute seed or fertilizer in by means of a ~, VI. noun Etymology: short for ~ing Date: 1743 a durable cotton twilled fabric