An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/dreschen
dreschen, verb, ‘to thresh,’ from the equivalent Middle High German drëschen, Old High German drëskan; corresponds to Dutch dorschen, Anglo-Saxon þërscan (for þrescan), English to thrash, thresh (compare Middle High German dreschen, which also means ‘to torment’); Gothic þriskan. Threshing was practised in primitively Teutonic times, as this common term testifies. The Teutons, even before they became settlers, and hence while they were still migrating, were acquainted with the most elementary methods of agriculture; compare the various kinds of corn, and also Pflug, Egge, Brot, &c. The Teutonic cognates found their way into Romance , — Italian trescare, ‘to trample, move the feet about, dance,’ Old French tresche, ‘chain-dance’ From these the Old Teutonic method of threshing may be easily inferred. The flail (Dreschflegel) came from Italy through the medium of Romance (see Flegel); for this a simpler term is found in Old High German driscil, Middle High German and Modern High German drischel. The meaning of the Teutonic base tresk is probably ‘to stamp noisily, tread’; compare Lithuanian trasketi, ‘to rattle, clatter,’ Old Slovenian trěskŭ, ‘crack,’ troska, ‘thunderclap.’ English threshold is mostly connected with dreschen, Old Teutonic þrëskan, regarding it as the threshing-staff, or as the place at the entrance to the house where corn was threshed.