From Middle English drihte, from Old English driht, dryht (“a multitude, an army, company, body of retainers, nation, a people, men”), from Proto-Germanic *druhtiz (“troop, following”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ- (“to hold, hold fast, support”). Cognate with Old Frisian dregte (“people, crowd, escort, retinue, host”), Middle Low German drucht (“band, war-team”), Middle High German truht (“multitude, offspring”), Icelandic drótt (“people, entourage, bodyguard”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍄𐍃 (gadrauhts, “soldier”). Related also to German Truchsess (“steward”), from Middle High German truhtsæze (“chairman of a multitude, steward”, literally “sitting one/presider next to/in front of a multitude". The meaning "multitude" survives in present day German in the sense of "representing a court”), from Old High German truhtsāzzo.
dright (plural drights)
From Middle English dright, driȝt, earlier drihten, from Old English dryhten (“a ruler, king, lord, prince, the supreme ruler, the Lord, God, Christ”), from Proto-Germanic *druhtinaz (“leader, chief, lord”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ- (“to hold, hold fast, support”). Cognate with Scots drichtin, drichtine (“lord, the Lord”), Old Frisian drochten (“lord”), Old Saxon drohtin (“lord”), Middle High German truhten, trohten (“ruler, lord”), Danish drot (“king”), Swedish drotten, drott (“king, ruler, sovereign”), Icelandic drottinn (“lord, master, ruler, God”), Finnish ruhtinas (“sovereign prince”). Related also to Old English dryht (“a multitude, an army, company, body of retainers, nation, a people, men”), Old English ġedryht (“fortune, fate”), Old English drēogan (“to serve in the military, endure”). More at dree.
dright (plural drights)