• (RP) IPA: /dɹiː/
• (America) IPA: /dɹi/
• (Ireland) IPA: /ðreː/, /driː/
• (Scotland) IPA: /dri/

Probably partly borrowed from Scots dree, and partly derived from its etymon Middle English dreen, dreghen, dreogen, drien, from Old English drēogan, from Proto-Germanic *dreuganą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ-.

• Gothic 𐌳𐍂𐌹𐌿𐌲𐌰𐌽
• Icelandic drýgja
• Scots dree, drie

dree (drees, present participle dreeing; simple past and past participle dreed) (chiefly, Northern England, Scotland)

1. (transitive) To bear or endure (something); to put up with, to suffer, to undergo.

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:tolerate

   • 1885, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights' Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume VIII, [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC ↗:

     And redoubled pine for its dwellers I dree.

2. (intransitive) To endure; to brook; also, to be able to do or continue.

Probably partly:

• derived from the verb (see etymology 1); and
• borrowed from Scots dree, or derived from its etymon Middle English dri, drie, dregh, dreghe, possibly from Middle English dregh, dri, drie, from Old English *drēog, *drēoȝ, dreoh, and then probably partly:
  • shortened from Old English gedrēog, from ġe- + Proto-Germanic *dreugaz (from *dreuganą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ-); and
  • influenced by Old Norse drjúgr, from Proto-Germanic *dreugaz (see above).

dree (plural drees)

1. (chiefly, Northumbria, Scotland, archaic) Grief; suffering; trouble.

From dreich#Adjective.

dree

1. (Northeast Midlands, Northern England)
   1. Of the doing of a task: with concentration; laboriously.
   2. Chiefly of the falling of rain: without pause or stop; continuously, incessantly.
2. (Lancashire, Scotland) Slowly, tediously.

See dreich.

dree (comparative dreer, superlative dreest)

1. Alternative form of dreich
   • 1863, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, “The Engagement”, in Sylvia's Lovers. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC ↗, page 40 ↗:

     To be sure, t' winter's been a dree season, and thou'rt, maybe, in the right on't to make a late start.

   • 1863, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, “Wedding Raiment”, in Sylvia's Lovers. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC ↗, page 278 ↗:

     But he's lying i' such dree poverty,—and niver a friend to go near him,—niver a person to speak a kind word t' him.