Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To speak with lengthened or drawn-out vowels.
  • intransitive verb To utter with lengthened or drawn-out vowels.
  • noun The speech or manner of speaking of one who drawls.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of drawling; a slow, unanimated utterance.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A lengthened, slow monotonous utterance.
  • transitive verb To utter in a slow, lengthened tone.
  • intransitive verb To speak with slow and lingering utterance, from laziness, lack of spirit, affectation, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To drag on slowly and heavily; while or dawdle away time indolently.
  • verb transitive To utter or pronounce in a dull, spiritless tone, as if by dragging out the utterance.
  • verb intransitive To move slowly and heavily; move in a dull, slow, lazy mannner.
  • verb intransitive To speak with a slow, spiritless utterance, from affectation, laziness, or lack of interest.
  • verb intransitive To speak with a drawl.
  • noun a way of speaking slowly while lengthening vowel sounds and running words together. Characteristic of some southern US accents, as well as Scots.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb lengthen and slow down or draw out
  • noun a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably from Low German drauelen, to loiter, delay.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From a modern frequentative form of draw, equivalent to draw +‎ -le. Compare draggle. Compare also Dutch dralen ("to drag out, delay, linger, tarry, dawdle"), Old Danish dravle ("to linger, loiter"), Icelandic dralla ("to loiter, linger").

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