Drills

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /dɹɪlz/

Definitions

1. A tool designed to create holes by rotating a pointed bit ; a method of repeated practice to improve skill or readiness
2. An instrument used to bore circular holes in materials ; a systematic exercise performed repeatedly to develop proficiency
3. A device for making precise perforations by spinning a cutting tip ; a structured routine of repeated activities aimed at skill development

Etymology: The word "drills" is simply the plural of "drill", and the noun "drill" has a more tangled history than its everyday sense suggests. Its best-attested root is the Middle Dutch "drillen", meaning "bore" or "move in a circle", which gave English the idea of a tool that turns to pierce material. That sense of turning also links it to the older English "trill", the same notion of rapid, repeated motion. The sense most people now meet, a set of repeated exercises, is a separate line. It comes from the earlier meaning of "drill" as a sustained, methodical training routine, the regimented repetition of soldiers on the parade ground, which grew out of older uses of the verb tied to disciplined, repeated action. Because the plural names many such exercises at once, "drills" carries that sense of practice repeated until it becomes automatic.

Synonyms: exercises, practices, rehearsals