dredge

Etymology 1

From Scots dreg-boat, dreg-bot (from Old English *dreċġ); or alternatively from Middle Dutch dregghe (“drag-net”), probably ultimately from the same root as drag.

noun

1. Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:
   1. A dragnet for taking up oysters, etc., from their beds.
   2. A dredging machine.
   3. An iron frame, with a fine net attached, used in collecting animals living at the bottom of the sea.
2. The act of dredging.
   A dredge of the river is not possible at this time due to the strong currents and dangerous riptides which plague the St. Lawrence after the ice melts. 2021, Suanne Laqueur, Here to Stay
3. Very fine mineral matter held in suspension in water.

verb

1. To make a channel deeper or wider using a dredge.
2. To bring something to the surface with a dredge.
3. (transitive, usually with "up") To unearth.
   to dredge up someone's unsavoury past
   Friday night’s crowning victory at The Hawthorns was the 25th in 30 league matches since Antonio Conte’s decisive re-gearing of his team in September, the tactical switches that have coaxed such a thrilling run from this team of bolt-ons and upcycled squad players, most notably Victor Moses, who was dredged out of the laundry bin in the autumn to become a key part of the title surge. May 13, 2017, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in the Guardian

Etymology 2

From Middle English dragge, from Old French dragee, dragie, from Latin tragēmata, from Ancient Greek τραγήματα (tragḗmata, “spices”), plural of τράγημα (trágēma, “dried fruit”).

noun

1. (cooking, countable) A large shaker for sprinkling spices or seasonings during food preparation.
2. (uncountable) A mixture of oats and barley.
   It is true that on the boulder clay of south Cambridgeshire they grew dredge, a mixture of oats and barley 1991, Edward Miller, Joan Thirsk, The Agrarian History of England and Wales: Volume 3, 1348-1500

verb

1. (cooking, transitive) To sprinkle (food) with spices or seasonings, using a dredge.
   Dredge the meat with the flour mixture you prepared earlier.