From Old English 'droppian' (to fall in drops) — originally only the fall of liquid, later generalized to letting anything fall.
To let or cause something to fall; to descend or decrease suddenly.
From Old English 'droppian' (later 'dropian') meaning 'to fall in drops,' derived from the noun 'dropa' (a drop of liquid), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (a drop), from PIE root *dʰreub- (to fall, drip, crumble). The original meaning was specifically about liquid — individual drops of water falling. The broadening from 'fall in drops' to 'fall in general' and then to 'let fall' (causative) occurred during the Middle English period, transforming a word about dripping water into the general-purpose English verb for letting anything fall. Key roots: *dʰreub- (Proto-Indo-European: "to fall, drip, crumble").
'Drop,' 'drip,' and 'droop' are all siblings from the same Proto-Germanic family, connected by the image of liquid falling. A 'droop' is a slow, sad drop — something sinking downward like heavy drops of water. The three words represent three speeds of falling: drip (slow, repeated), drop (sudden, singular), droop (gradual, sustained