I. ˈdrəj verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English druggen; probably akin to Old English drēogan to work, perform, endure, Gothic driugan to do service as a soldier, Old English dryht retinue, armed followers, Old High German trukt, Old Norse drōtt retinue, Gothic ga draubts warrior, Old Slavic drugŭ companion, Latin firmus firm — more at firm
intransitive verb
: to perform hard, menial, or monotonous work
drudge all day doing wasteful work badly — Bertrand Russell
drudging over the translation of a Japanese history — K.C.Lamott
transitive verb
: to force to do hard and monotonous work
wouldn't like to have a daughter of mine dragged and drudged all her life — Michael McLaverty
II. noun
( -s )
1. : one who is obliged to work at hard, unpleasant, or menial tasks : slavey
the lodging-house drudge bustled in and out — Oscar Wilde
2. : a routine and boring task : grind
reporters on a daily drudge through the Surrogate's Court — Time
3. : one whose work is routine and boring ; also : one who through lack of imagination allows his life to become centered around and limited by the physical tasks that he must perform : hack
men of originality and spirit became docile drudges — Virginia Woolf
III.
dialect
variant of dredge