deepn.
/diːp/, U.S. /dip/ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [noun]
deepc1000
deepnessc1330
depth1393
descending1571
profunditudec1616
profoundness1693
sidth1831
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xiii. 5 Hig næfdon þære eorþan dypan [c1160 Hatton G. deopan].
1624 F. Bacon New Atlantis in Wks. (1676) 259 Caves of several deeps.
1635 L. Foxe North-west Fox sig. P2v Hee lessed his deepe 3. fathom.
2. The deep part of the sea, or of a lake or river (opposed to shallow); deep water; a deep place.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > body of water > [noun] > deep place or part
swallowa700
deepnessa1000
deepOE
swallowa1100
depth1382
gulfc1400
profound?a1425
abysm?1614
OE Exodus 281 Ic sylfa sloh and þeos swiðre hand grene tacne garsecges deop.
c1000 Ags. Ps. lxviii. 14–15 Ado me of deope deorces wæteres..Ne me huru forswelge sæ-grundes deop.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 58/2 And sancke doun in to the depe of the see.
c1500 Melusine (1895) 273 They had take the deep of the porte.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 325 The Frenchmen..passed by and tooke the deepe of the Sea.
1681 J. Chetham Angler's Vade Mecum xxxiii. 122 Dib in the still deeps.
1700 S. L. tr. C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 265 Till we were quite out of the deep, and in full sight of the Land.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus i. iv. 11/2 Some silent, high-encircled mountain-pool..into whose black deeps you fear to gaze.
1855 C. Kingsley Heroes (1868) v. ii. 155 They sailed on through the deeps of Sardinia.
1865 J. G. Bertram Harvest of Sea iv. 150 The best places for this kind of fishing are the deeps at Kingston Bridge, Sunbury Lock, Halliford, Chertsey Weir, and in the deeps at Bray.
1894 N.E.D. at Deep Mod. A ship crossing Boston deeps.
3. the deep:† b. Formerly also in plural in same sense. Obsolete.
a. The deep sea, the ocean, the main. poetic and rhetorical (without plural.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > [noun] > ocean, open sea, or deep sea
room seaeOE
seawaya1000
the deepc1000
deptha1382
oceana1387
mid-sea?a1425
profound?a1425
main seaa1530
high seas1566
main1579
main flood1596
the deep1598
deep sea1626
dipsey1626
mid-ocean1697
blue water1803
haaf1809
salt chuck1868
wide1916
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) v. 4 Teoh hit [scip] on dypan [c1160 Hatton G. deopan].
c1315 Shoreham 146 Fisches ine the depe.
c1386 G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale 357 I schal drenchen in þe deepe.
a1400–50 Alexander 64 Dromonds dryfes ouer þe depe.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. i. 15 They shall fetch thee Iewels, from the deepe . View more context for this quotation
1608 Bp. J. Hall Epist. I. ii. ix. 183 The swelling waues of the Deepe.
1662 Bk. Com. Prayer, Burial at Sea We therefore commit his body to the Deep.
1713 R. Steele Englishman No. 26. 171 Monsters of the Deep.
1801 T. Campbell Ye Mariners of Eng. iv Britannia needs no bulwark, No towers along the steep; Her march is o'er the mountain waves, Her home is on the deep.
1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad I. ii. 65 Barks To cross the dark blue deep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > [noun] > ocean, open sea, or deep sea
room seaeOE
seawaya1000
the deepc1000
deptha1382
oceana1387
mid-sea?a1425
profound?a1425
main seaa1530
high seas1566
main1579
main flood1596
the deep1598
deep sea1626
dipsey1626
mid-ocean1697
blue water1803
haaf1809
salt chuck1868
wide1916
1598 G. Chapman tr. Homer Seauen Bks. Iliades i. 310 They..cast the offal of all to the deeps.
1659 D. Pell Πελαγος Ep. Ded. sig. a3v (note) Amongst the Lords wonders in the Deeps.
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. ii. 372 The dangers of the deeps he tries.
1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey I. iii. 410 The monstrous wonders of the deeps.
c. The abyss or depth of space. (Sometimes a figurative use of a.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > space > [noun]
heavensOE
heavenOE
space1561
space1582
ether1587
the deep1598
depth1613
void1667
empyrean1879
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 iii. i. 51 I can cal spirits from the vasty deep . View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 168 Boundless the Deep, because I am who fill Infinitude, nor vacuous the space. View more context for this quotation
1794 W. Blake Tyger in Songs of Experience in Compl. Poetry & Prose (1982) 24 In what distant deeps or skies, Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
1820 P. B. Shelley To Skylark in Prometheus Unbound 201 The blue deep thou wingest.
1830 Ld. Tennyson Poems 114 And thunder through the sapphire deeps.
1877 E. R. Conder Basis of Faith iv. 192 That boundless deep of space.
d. Cricket. Elliptical for deep field (see deep adj. Compounds 3).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricket ground > [noun] > parts of field
long field1828
leg1833
silly point1862
deep field1870
country1878
infield1898
the deep1906
rough1952
1906 G. W. Beldam & C. B. Fry Great Bowlers & Fielders 438 A fine example of the throw in from ‘the deep’.
1924 H. de Sélincourt Cricket Match iv. 89 One catch in the deep which he had held in a school cricket match..was still vividly remembered.
1954 J. H. Fingleton Ashes crown Year 112 Lindwall having nobody in the deep.
1963 A. Ross Australia 63 iii. 85 Graveney, chasing one in the deep, pulled a muscle and left the field.
4.
a. A deep place in the earth, etc.; a deep pit, cavity, valley; an abyss; a depression in a surface.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hole or pit > [noun] > abyss
swallowa700
deepnessa1000
deep1393
abysmc1475
dungeonc1475
depth1523
gulfa1533
downfall1542
hell-kettle1577
abysmus1611
vorago1654
under-abyss1662
purgatory1766
fosse1805
jaw-hole1840
1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 200 They go by night unto the mine..A wilde fire into the depe Thei caste amonge the tymber-werke.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vi. l. 719 A thousand in the myre Off hors with men was plungyt in the deipe.
1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 173 Newendene is such, as it maye likely enoughe take the name,..of the deepe and bottome.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 76 And in the lowest deep a lower deep Still threatning to devour me opens wide. View more context for this quotation
1855 R. C. Singleton tr. Virgil Aeneid iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. I. 331 The madding prophetess..Who in a deep of cliff the fates doth chant.
1891 V. C. Cotes Two Girls on Barge 161 Noting the deeps and curves of the curious pensive face.
b. Cornish Mining. ‘The lower portion of a vein; used in the phrase to the deep, i.e. downward upon the vein’ (Raymond Mining Gloss. 1881).
ΚΠ
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 126 Deep, Corn[wall]. The lower portion of a vein; used in the phrase to the deep, i. e., downward upon the vein.
5. The remote central part, the ‘depths’. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [noun] > distant parts > a remote or inaccessible place > in the centre
deepc1400
depth1733
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) vii. 79 He wan..all the othere kyngdoms unto the depe of Ethiope.
1879 R. Browning Ivan Ivanovitch in Idyls I. 17 In the deep of our land 'tis said, a village from out the woods Emerged.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > period > [noun] > middle of a period
midtime1418
heart1523
holla1525
deep1530
waist1604
depth1605
full1658
howe1818
hollow1864
inside1890
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 543/1 In the depe of wynter, all flowers be faded quyte awaye.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. iv. 39 Many that do feare In deepe of night to walke by this Hernes Oake. View more context for this quotation
a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 13 An hour at the deep of winter, being but a twelfth part of their shortest day.
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 80 The Captains also, in the deep of this Winter, did send..a summons to Mansoul. View more context for this quotation
7. figurative. A deep (i.e. secret, mysterious, unfathomable, or vast) region of thought, feeling, or being; a ‘depth’, ‘abyss’. poetic and rhetorical.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [noun] > that which is within > interior part(s) > innermost part
inmosta1050
highestlOE
depth1382
intestinea1533
bottom1587
penetral1589
deep1609
recess1616
recessora1637
intime1657
intrinsic1665
penetralia1668
innermost1674
1609 Bp. J. Hall Passion-serm. 31 Hee is happilie waded out of those deepes of sorrowes, wherof our conceites can find no bottome.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. x. 485 Low plunge my hopes, in dark deepes of despaire.
1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 135 To dive into the secret deeps within.
1820 P. B. Shelley Ode to Liberty ix, in Prometheus Unbound 214 From the human spirit's deepest deep.
1832 Ld. Tennyson Palace of Art lvii, in Poems (new ed.) 85 God, before whom ever lie bare The abysmal deeps of Personality.
8. Nautical. A term used in estimating the fathoms intermediate to those indicated by marks on the 20-fathom sounding-line. Formerly also dip.The marks are at 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20 fathoms; the ‘deeps’ or ‘dips’ are therefore 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > sounding-line or -rod > term of measuring depth
deep1769
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Sounding As there is no mark at 4, 6, 8, &c. he estimates those numbers, and calls, ‘By the dip four,’ &c.
c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 42 How many marks and deeps are there in a 20-fathom lead line? Nine marks and eleven deeps.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Hand-line, a line bent to the hand-lead, measured at certain intervals with what are called marks and deeps from 2 and 3 fathoms to 20.
1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 17 If he judges that the depth corresponds with a deep, [the leadsman calls] ‘by the deep 8 or 9, etc.’
Compounds
deep-commanding adj.
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Frier Bacon (1594) sig. G4 Hell trembled at my deepe commanding spels.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
deepadj.
/diːp/, U.S. /dip/ I. Literal senses.† 5. Of ground or roads: Covered with a depth of mud, sand, or loose soil. Obsolete.
1.
a. Having great or considerable extension downward.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [adjective]
deep854
thickc893
lowc1350
profound?a1425
howea1500
dernc1500
deepsome?1615
854 Chart. in Cod. Dipl. V. 111 Of lusan þorne to deopan delle.
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) iv. 11 Þes pytt is deop.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 325 He lette makien enne dic þe wes wnderliche deop [c1300 Otho swiþe deap].
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 6 Grante~brugge and Hontyndone [have] mest plente of dup fen.
c1300 St. Brandan 574 Ich caste him in a dupe dich.
13.. Poems fr. Vernon MS. 578 Schip is more siker in luitel water Þen in þe deope see.
1340 Ayenb. 264 Helle is..dyep wyþ-oute botme.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 1679 Twa bestes come fra þe depe se.
c1475 (?c1425) Avowing of King Arthur (1984) l. 269 In a dale depe.
1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 44 The greate deepe valleis.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. i. 4 In the deepe bosome of the Ocean buried. View more context for this quotation
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. v. 232 Wee buried the slayne people in deep graves.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth I. 380 Holes..so deep as not to be fathomed.
1819 P. B. Shelley Fragm.: Serpent 4 Through the deep grass of the meadow.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. vii. 55 [The stream] had cut a deep gorge in the clean ice.
b. Having great or considerable extension inward from the surface or exterior, or backward from the front.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [adjective] > far from the outside or deep
deepOE
OE Riddle 56 4 Heaþoglemma feng, deopra dolga.
c1250 Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 214 His wund dop ant wide.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12923 He..yode in-to depe desert.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vii. viii. 2 Mony wild beistis den and deip caverne.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 1876 Depe woundes to the dethe.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 88 She presented me a Handkercher..with a deep frindge.
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 181 A deep Convex-glass.
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. vii. 130 Make the Rooms next the Front deeper or shallower.
1775 N. W. Wraxall Cursory Remarks Tour N. Europe 303 Very deep and gloomy woods, of twenty English miles in length.
1820 P. B. Shelley Summer & Winter 12 When birds die In the deep forests.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Morte d'Arthur in Poems (new ed.) II. 4 His wound was deep.
1918 H. Croy How Motion Pictures are Made 99 Audiences..demanded real rooms, with the result that ‘deep’ sets replaced the painted representations.
c. deep water (also deep waters): grave adversity, danger, difficulty, trouble, etc.; highly complex, involved, or momentous matters.In early use sometimes with allusion to the references to water in Psalm 69: cf. quots. OE, 1535.
ΚΠ
OE Arundel Psalter lxviii. 15 Eripe me de luto ut non infigar, libera me ab his qui oderunt me et de profundis aquarum : genera me of lame & of fænne þæt ic ne geþwærlæce alis me fram þisum þa þe hatodon me & of grundon uel of deopan wætere.
1534 J. Fewterer tr. U. Pinder Myrrour Christes Passion f. C.viv So our sauiour Christe saught for man kynde whiche was fallen in to the deape water of troubles and drowned synne.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms lxviii [lxix]. 2 I am come in to depe waters.
1632 P. Fletcher Way to Blessednes To Rdr. sig. A8 Oft-times you may heare him, like the Larke, singing, and mounting in his song;..yet often mourning like a dove,..his spirit drunke up, and sinking in the deepe waters.
1645 A. Grosse Christ Christians Choice 21 As Israel went joyfully through the sea to Canaan, so shall you through the deepe waters of all sorrowes, troubles, changes yea death it selfe, unto heaven.
a1710 J. Naylor Prospect of Heaven (1713) 27 The Lord forceth us like the Ark, to sail in deep Waters, that our Souls might mount the nearer unto Heaven.
1753 E. Johnson Diary 20 Apr. in Acct. (1799) 25 Monday, two o'clock, I was in heaviness through manifold temptations; what difficulties we have to pass through. O Lord bring me safe out of these deep waters.
1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. v. 83 Tom felt greatly relieved, as he was beginning to find himself in rather deep water.
1893 R. L. Stevenson Catriona iii. 32 These are deep waters... Be cautious and think twice.
1933 N. Coward Design for Living ii. ii. 62 Our lives are diametrically opposed to ordinary social conventions; and it's no use grabbing at those conventions to hold us up when we find we're in deep water.
1948 V. Palmer Golconda xxx. 251 He [sc. the Labour Party candidate] was bothered by young fellows, usually advocates of One Big Union, who tried to lure him into deep water.
1995 C. Bateman Divorcing Jack viii. 71 I knew that every minute I put off phoning them I was getting myself into deeper water, but I could see no way out.
2011 L. Blessing Lonesome Hollow 48 So many questions about her—and her family in Montana... Deep waters there.
d. deep end: the end of a swimming-pool at which the water is deepest; so in colloquial figurative phrase to go (in) off the deep end, etc.: to give way to emotion or anger; to ‘let oneself go’.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > swimming > [noun] > swimming pool > parts of
deep end1921
shallow end1924
1921 Times Lit. Suppl. 22 Dec. 853/3 Saint-Saëns rarely, if ever, takes any risks; he never, to use the slang of the moment, ‘went in off the deep end’.
1922 C. E. M. Joad Highbrows vi. 186 She passed her life metaphorically at the end of a diving-board, ready at the slightest provocation to go in at the deep end.
1923 Weekly Dispatch 21 Jan. 5 Mr. Nicholas Hannen..plays the second fiddling husband admirably, except when, once or twice, he goes off the deep end a trifle too explosively.
1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey ii. iv. 151 Would it not be more in the mode, really dramatic—if one ‘went over the deep end,' as they said, just once?
1927 W. E. Collinson Contemp. Eng. 115 A very common phrase since the war is to go (in) off the deep end, an expression evidently taken from the deep end of a swimming-bath where the diving board is.
1934 F. W. Crofts 12.30 from Croydon vii. 84 Yes, I've been. And found the old boy brimming over with wrath against you. And when he heard I was coming on the same job he fairly went off the deep end.
1963 T. Parker Unknown Citizen iii. 88 I'm not going to do what I've done before, go off the deep end, nothing like that.
1966 G. Greene Comedians i. iv. 113 Mr Smith trundled to the deep-end before he emerged.
1970 V. Gielgud Candle-holders vii. 62 Simon Astley was too much like the instructor in a swimming-bath, who throws you in at the deep end.
2.
a. Having a (specified) dimension downward.The depth is sometimes indicated by prefixing a word giving the equivalent of a measure, as ankle-deep, knee-deep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [adjective] > of specific depth
deepOE
knee-deep1535
ankle-deep1597
waist-deep1763
shoe-deep1773
thigh-deep1851
yard-deep-
OE Genesis 1398 Fiftena stod deop ofer dunum se drenceflod monnes elna.
c1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 207 Two foote depe is good for corne tillage.
1576 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 386 He penned the water but one foote deepe.
1608 T. Middleton Mad World, my Masters iii. sig. D4 This puts mee in mind of a hole seauen foote deepe, my graue.
1708 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth (ed. 2) ii. 205 The Waters might cover the Earth in general about 50 miles deep.
1826 W. Scott Woodstock III. iv. 85 Long grass..almost ancle-deep in dew.
1832 Examiner 44/2 The ditch..was eight feet deep.
1875 F. Hall in Lippincott's Monthly Mag. 16 750/2 The mud was everywhere ankle-deep.
b. Having a (specified) dimension inward from the surface, outer part, or front; spec. (with simple numeral prefixed) of persons, chiefly soldiers, having (so many) ranks standing one behind another. Also, with numeral prefixed, having so many engagements or obligations.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > arrangement in (a) row(s) or line(s > [adjective] > one behind the other > (so many) one behind the other
thick1604
deep1791
1646 H. Lawrence Of Communion & Warre with Angels 63 The pleasure is but skin deepe.
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. vii. 131 The Front Room is 25 Foot, and the Back Room 15 Foot deep.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 107 The first File..was as deep as the Street would admit.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1780 II. 316 [Langton:] The company began to collect round him..four if not five deep.
1834 A. Burnes Trav. Bokhara III. vi. 155 Five regiments..drawn up in line, three deep.
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) III. xxiii. 280 The Thebans..stood five-and-twenty deep.
1921 Discovery Sept. 242/2 He proposed to her, and she accepted him—if he would wait his turn; she was four deep already!
1935 W. Fortescue Perfume from Provence 109 The lawyer was always engaged six deep whenever I called to see him.
c. Cricket. Of a fielder or fielding position: farther than normal from the batsman. (See also deep field n. at Compounds 3 below.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > fielding > [adjective] > fielding positions
silly1862
deep1867
fine1882
backward point1904
1867 G. H. Selkirk Guide to Cricket Ground ii. 25 Deep Cover, when twenty-two are in the field the men that stand far out are designated by the names of the positions of the men they support, with the word ‘deep’ prefixed.
1897 K. S. Ranjitsinhji Jubilee Bk. Cricket ii. 57 When a man is put on the boundary behind extra-cover or cover, he is usually called deep-extra-cover or deep-cover.
3.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
a. Placed or situated far (or a specified distance) down or beneath the surface; of a ship, low in the water.
b. Far in from the margin, far back.
ΚΠ
c1000 Ags. Ps. cxiv. 8 Þu mine sawle..ofer deopum deaþe gelæddest.
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter ix. 8 Þai þat has synned mare sall be deppest in hell.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xxiv. 255 This Lond of Cathay is in Asye the depe.
1641 Bp. of Lincoln in Cobbett Parl. Hist. 1807 II. 798 Yet shall you find St. Paul..intermeddle, knuckle deep, with Secular Affairs.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. ii. 19 It is a hot Ship, but deep and foul..a Prize worth fighting for.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 112 The frozen Earth lies buried there..sev'n Cubits deep in Snow. View more context for this quotation
1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 242 We were now a very deep Ship, having near two Hundred Ton of Goods on board.
1842 E. Wilson Anatomist's Vade Mecum (ed. 2) 334 The deep veins are situated among the deeper structures of the body.
1885 U. S. Grant Pers. Mem. I. xxi. 297 A portion of the ground..was two feet deep in water.
c. spec. Of mining operations: far below the surface of the ground; so deep-mined adj. (contrasted with opencast). deep lead adj. see lead n.2 6b.
ΚΠ
1839 Penny Cycl. XV. 239/2 Even in very deep shafts, when complete, daylight may be seen from the bottom.
1860 Mining Gloss. (ed. 2) 37 Deep level, the watercourse leading to the engine-shaft, being always the deepest adit in the mine.
1862 Otago: Its Goldfields & Resources 18 The deep sinking has not, so far, realised the sanguine expectations once entertained regarding it.
1899 Daily News 3 May 3/5 Deep-level mines and deep-level mining.
1902 Daily Chron. 2 Dec. 6/5 Mr. Chapman maintained that it was possible so to ventilate even a deep-level tube railway that passengers ‘would not notice any difference between the atmosphere in the tunnels and the atmosphere on the street level’.
1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §581 Deep sinking labourer; navvy or miner engaged in sinking deep holes or shafts.
1948 Ann. Reg. 1947 493 4 million tons of deep-mined coal a week.
4. Of physical actions: Extending to or coming from a depth; also transferred of agents.
ΚΠ
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 437 b/1 He maketh a depe enclynacion.
1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. C4 To be compted high fliers and deepe swimmers.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 106 Fetching a deepe sigh.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 160. ¶8 I here fetched a deep Sigh.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 64 Fearful of too deep a plunge.
1866 T. H. Huxley Lessons Elem. Physiol. (1869) iv. 102 In taking a deep inspiration.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [adjective] > fit for (spec. type of) traffic > in bad condition
wickeda1375
deepc1386
rutty1596
rutted1607
founderous1767
ditchy1888
c1386 G. Chaucer Friar's Tale 243 Deep was the way, for which the carte stood.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) v. l. 285 His hors stuffyt for the way was depe and lang.
1523 Act 14 & 15 Hen. VIII c. 6 Many other common waies..be so depe and noyous, by wearyng and course of water.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vi. 253 We incountred with such deep sandy ground.
1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. viii. 49 To walk upwards of three hundred miles through deep roads.
1825 T. C. Croker Fairy Legends & Trad. S. Ireland I. 249 The roads were excessively deep, from the heavy rains. [We now say ‘deep in mud, dust, etc.’]
II. Figurative senses.
* Of things, states, actions, etc.† 7. Solemn; grave:† b. Of grave consequence or effect; grave, serious, weighty, important. Obsolete.† 11. † 15. Far advanced (in time), late. Obsolete. rare.
6.
a. Hard to fathom or ‘get to the bottom of’; penetrating far into a subject, profound.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > [adjective] > of thought: profound
deepc1000
profound?c1422
thought-provoking1791
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > [adjective]
higheOE
dighela1000
deepc1000
darkOE
starkOE
dusk?c1225
subtle1340
dimc1350
subtilea1393
covert1393
mystica1398
murka1400
cloudyc1400
hard?c1400
mistyc1400
unclearc1400
diffuse1430
abstractc1450
diffused?1456
exquisitec1460
obnubilous?a1475
obscure?a1475
covered1484
intricate?a1500
nice?a1500
perplexeda1500
difficilea1513
difficult1530
privy1532
smoky1533
secret1535
abstruse?1549
difficul1552
entangled1561
confounded1572
darksome1574
obnubilate1575
enigmatical1576
confuse1577
mysteriousa1586
Delphic1598
obfuscatea1600
enfumed1601
Delphicala1603
obstruse1604
abstracted1605
confused1611
questionable1611
inevident1614
recondite1619
cryptic1620
obfuscated1620
transcendent1624
Delphian1625
oraculous1625
enigmatic1628
recluse1629
abdite1635
undilucidated1635
clouded1641
benighted1647
oblite1650
researched1653
obnubilated1658
obscurative1664
tenebrose1677
hyperbyssal1691
condite1695
diffusive1709
profound1710
tenebricose1730
oracular1749
opaque1761
unenlightening1768
darkling1795
offuscating1798
unrecognizable1817
tough1820
abstrusive1848
obscurant1878
out-of-focus1891
unplumbable1895
inenubilable1903
non-transparent1939
c1000 Ags. Ps. xci[i]. 4 Wæran ðine geþancas þearle deope.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7205 Bisshopess off dep lare.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5501 Off all þe boc i godess hus Þe deope diȝhellnesse.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 1609 For his depe diuinité & his dere sawes.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 1553 Þai left all depe questyouns.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xci[i]. 5 Thy thoughtes are very depe.
1600 J. Pory tr. J. Leo Africanus Geogr. Hist. Afr. ii. 315 A man of deepe learning.
1611 Bible (King James) 1 Cor. ii. 10.
1798 J. Ferriar Illustr. Sterne i. 5 They suppose a work to be deep, in proportion to its darkness.
1860 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters V. 150 A deep book..for deep people.
1873 A. Helps Some Talk about Animals & their Masters iv. 86 In this work..hopeful that I should find something very deep, and very significant.
b. Lying below the surface; not superficial; profound.
ΚΠ
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits viii. 137 It is in the deep traits of race that the fortunes of nations are written.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 6 In all that belongs to its deeper significance.
1874 J. Morley On Compromise 22 Of these deeper causes, the most important..is the growth of the Historic Method.
a. of oaths, protestations, etc. Obsolete. (In Old English also of divine messages, etc.: Awful, dread, stern.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [adjective] > relating to an oath > of an oath: solemn
deepOE
solemnc1315
solemned1567
religious1592
OE Guthlac A 649 Eow se waldend wraðe bisencte in þæt swearte susl, þær eow siððan wæs ad inæled attre geblonden, þurh deopne dom dream afyrred, engla gemana.
OE Exodus 519 Moyses sægde, heahþungen wer, halige spræce, deop ærende.
c1000 Ags. Ps. cxxxi. 11 Þæs deopne áþ Drihten aswor.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 233 Grettore oþ non nys, Þan by þe olde chyrche of Glastynbury [h]wo so dep oþ nome.
1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 59v To sweare by deepe And very solemne othes.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. vii. 25 Nor are the deepest sacraments..of any force to perswade. View more context for this quotation
1649 Bp. J. Hall Resol. & Decisions i. vi. 59 Beleeving the sellers deepe protestation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > grave or serious
heavy971
highOE
earnestfula1400
solemn1420
weighty1489
ponderousa1500
chargeablea1513
serious1531
earnest1533
gravous1535
capitala1538
deep1598
grave1824
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 188 Ile reade you matter deepe and daungerous. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) i. iii. 125 The Instruments of Darknesse..Winne vs with honest Trifles, to betray's In deepest consequences. View more context for this quotation
1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) 15 This is a deep and serious verity.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 26. ¶6 A View of Nature in her deep and solemn Scenes.
8. As an attribute of moral qualities or of actions in which sinking or abasement is present.
a. Of sin, crime, guilt (into which one may fall or sink): Grave, heinous.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > wickedness > [adjective] > extremely wicked
deepOE
blackOE
outrageousa1325
heinousc1374
flagitiousc1384
excessive1393
rankc1400
enorm1481
prodigiousc1487
villainous1489
terriblec1510
sceleratea1513
monstrous1531
enormious1545
facinorous1548
monstruous1562
felonious1575
enormous1593
facinoriousa1616
rounda1638
scarlet1710
facinerose1727
atrocious1772
outraging1895
OE Cynewulf Juliana 301 He sacnan ongon wiþ þa gecorenan Cristes þegnas, ond þa halgan weras hospe gerahte þurh deopne gedwolan.
OE Guthlac B 858 Weorces onguldon, deopra firena, þurh deaðes cwealm, þe hy un snyttrum ær gefremedon.
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 73 Þanne þe sinfulle man beoð bifallen on depe sinne.
a1400–50 Alexander 1866 A depe dishonoure ȝe do to ȝoure name.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) i. vii. 20 The deepe damnation of his taking off. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Richard III (1623) ii. ii. 28 And with a vertuous Vizor hide deepe vice [1597 foule guile].
1894 N.E.D. at Deep Mod. He is in deep disgrace.
b. Of humility, or of things humble or lowly.
ΚΠ
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 181 Ach habbe ȝe deop dich of deop eadmodnesse.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 211 He ssel to god grede mid dyepe herte.
1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. xv. 154 Letters..answered with new deep humilities.]
9. Deep-rooted in the breast; that comes from or enters into one's inmost nature or feelings; that affects one profoundly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > intense emotion > [adjective]
inmostc897
inlyeOE
mucha1200
deepa1400
inwardc1402
quickc1449
piercingc1450
sharpc1480
profound1526
feeling1531
visceral1575
infelta1586
hearty?1614
hearteda1616
home-felt1637
exquisitea1656
deep-rooted1669
intimate1671
exalted1704
bosom-felt1771
pathologic1891
bone deep1900
a1400–50 Alexander 265 With depe desire of delite.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Richard III (1623) i. iv. 68 + 1 If my deepe prayres cannot appease thee.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 62 Deep horrour seizes ev'ry Humane Breast. View more context for this quotation
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 389 A deep sense of Honour.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 107. ⁋1 I saw in his Countenance a deep Sorrow.
1796 R. Southey Joan of Arc ix. 13 Through every fibre a deep fear Crept shivering.
1832 H. Martineau Demerara i. 7 Alfred..yet entertained a deep dislike of the system.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 107 The manner, they said, is one..in which every Englishman..has a deep interest.
1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon II. 72 John's feelings were too deep for words.
10. Said of actions, processes, etc. in which the mind is profoundly absorbed or occupied.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > [adjective] > relating to careful thought
delivered1499
deliberative?1520
deep1586
considered1604
reflective1625
reflectional1848
1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. P3v From the deepe consideration, and hard suppose of my present euils.
1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall i. 1 In the deep discovery of the Subterranean world.
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. v. 190 Gazing on her with that deep attention, which marks an enraptured mind.
1841 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 85 He passed the next night in deep study.
a. Said of things involving heavy expenditure or liability; expensive; heavy. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > [adjective] > involving great or excessive expenditure
dear1044
chargeous138.
wastyc1380
dear-boughtc1384
costlewa1387
costlya1425
costy?c1430
costfulc1450
costablea1475
chargeable1480
sumptuous1485
chargeful1529
deep1608
tributary1632
burdenablec1650
expensivea1661
consumptive1753
capital-intensive1907
1608 Bp. J. Hall Pharisaisme & Christianity 83 Ye Merchants lode them with deep and vnreasonable prices.
1649 Bp. J. Hall Resol. & Decisions i. v. 43 The deep expence he hath beene at.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ii. 139 The people paid deep Taxes.
1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 29 Sept. (1948) I. 34 I have the first floor, a dining-room, and bed-chamber, at eight shillings a week; plaguy deep.
1728 C. Cibber Vanbrugh's Provok'd Husband ii. i. 22 Overjoy'd for winning a deep Stake.
1781 W. Cowper Expostulation 608 Chargeable with deep arrears.
b. Of drinking, gaming, or other practices.
ΚΠ
1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. I. ii. iii. sig. J.ij/1 Deepe swearings, not only needlesse, but also hurtfull.
1709 J. Swift Project Advancem. Relig. 27 That ruinous Practice of deep Gaming.
1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. ii. iv. 77 She took a turn towards expensive Diversions, particularly deep Play.
1827 W. Scott Jrnl. 9 Jan. (1939) 4 He could not resist the temptation of deep play.
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece V. xlii. 220 Deep drinking was customary among the Thracians. [Here there is a mixture of senses.]
12.
a. Of conditions, states, or qualities: Intense, profound, very great in measure or degree. Of actions: Powerfully affecting, mighty, influential.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective]
hardOE
heavyc1000
highOE
highlyOE
stourc1275
largec1330
intensec1400
violent1430
profoundc1450
vehementc1485
intensive1526
advanceda1533
vengeable1532
Herculean1602
well-advanced1602
deep1605
dense1732
abysmal1817
intensitive1835
holy1837
high-level1860
major1942
1605 Bp. J. Hall Medit. & Vowes II. §50 Without a deepe check to my selfe, for my backwardnesse.
1616 tr. M. A. de Dominis Manifestation of Motives 13 This consideration..hath in deepe measure seized upon mee.
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 11 If the Lord having man at a deepe, yea infinite advantage.
1873 J. Morley Rousseau I. 188 That influence..[gave] a deep and remarkable bias, first to the American Revolution, and a dozen years afterwards to the French Revolution.
1879 J. M. Duncan Clin. Lect. Dis. Women xi. 126 And, in order to their examination, the deep influence of an anæsthetic is necessary.
b. Said esp. of sleep, silence, and similar conditions, in which one may be deeply plunged or immersed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [adjective] > type of sleep > deep or unbroken
fastOE
stronga1398
sada1425
deep1547
sound1548
unstarting1748
wakeless1824
profound1833
unawakening1846
unawaking1863
yawnless1881
1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe i. f. xl The .83 Capytle doth shewe of a terryble and depe slepe.
1578 J. Polemon All Famous Battels 262 They maye be wrapped in deepe silence.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 84 Drowned in deepe and thick darkenes.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Cor. viii. 2 Their deepe pouertie abounded vnto the riches of their liberalitie. View more context for this quotation
1734 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. (1827) VII. xvii. 345 Which at last ended in deep consumption.
1805 W. Wordsworth Waggoner i. 6 In silence deeper far than that of deepest noon.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxxii. 279 Now comes the deep stillness after it.
c. Used of the intense or extreme stage of winter, night, etc., when nature is ‘plunged’ in darkness or death.
ΚΠ
1531 H. Latimer Let. Dec. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 1321/2 I would be very lothe (nowe this depe wynter)..to take suche a iourney.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 592 In the deepest colde weather he commeth into the Mountaines of Norway.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) i. iv. 17 Deepe Night, darke Night, the silent of the Night. View more context for this quotation
1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia To Rdr. sig. A3v In her deepe and declining age.
1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. vii. 175 It was deep night before he left Naples.
1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. v. 93 During the deepest part of the tragedy.
1821 J. Baillie Columbus in Metrical Legends xlix But when the deep eclipse came on.
1851 N. Hawthorne Gorgon's Head in Wonder-bk. (1879) 87 It was now deep night.
13.
a. Of colour (or coloured objects): Intense from the quantity of colour through or on which one looks; highly chromatic. The opposite of faint, thin.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > quality of colour > [adjective] > intense
strongOE
richc1330
finea1387
stark1547
deep1555
full1599
saturate1669
generous1710
lush1744
saturated1791
lushy1821
robust1826
raised1846
high-keyed1879
acid1916
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 236 Iacinthes..are best that are of diepeste colour.
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets liv. sig. D4 The Canker bloomes haue full as deepe a die, As the perfumed tincture of the Roses. View more context for this quotation
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 74 All manner of Blues, from the faintest to the deepest.
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 74 As the liquor grew thicker and thicker, this tincture appear'd deeper and deeper.
1668 Excell. Pen & Pencil 81 In putting the deep and dark shadows in the Face.
1740 G. Smith tr. Laboratory (ed. 2) App. p. xiii According as you would have it, either deeper or lighter.
a1839 W. M. Praed Poems (1864) I. 6 Like the glow of a deep carnation.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule x. 171 Deeper and deeper grew the colour of the sun.
b. Qualifying names of colours.Originally with nouns of colour, as ‘a deep blue’ (French un bleu foncé); when the colour word is used as an adjective, deep becomes functionally an adverb, and is sometimes hyphenated: cf. deep adv. 2, Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K4v The deepe greene Emrald.
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 73 Of a deep Scarlet colour.
1776 W. Withering Brit. Plants (1796) II. 485 Petals..deep orange.
1831 D. Brewster Treat. Optics xi. 99 Deep crimson red.
1883 Liverpool Courier 25 Sept. 4/6 Glittering on the deep blue dome.
c. deep mourning: complete or full mourning: that which symbolizes deep grief.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > obsequies > formal or ceremonial mourning > [noun] > mourning drapery > type of
deep mourning1722
half-mourning1820
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > for specific purpose > mourning > complete or full mourning
deep mourning1722
the world > life > death > obsequies > formal or ceremonial mourning > [noun] > wearing of mourning garments > mourning garments > type of
deep mourning1722
half-mourning1820
1722 London Gaz. No. 6084/6 The Coachman in deep Mourning.
1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World I. 64 A lady dressed in the deepest mourning.
1863 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 167 [She] was very tall, dressed in deep black.
14.
a. Of sound (or a source of sound): Low in pitch, grave; full-toned, resonant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [adjective] > pitch > low in pitch
bassa1450
heavy1589
broad1607
grave1609
deepa1616
gravitoned1657
low-pitched1811
deep-drawn1860
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [adjective] > low
lowa1393
bassa1450
deepa1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. iii. 98 That deepe and dreadfull Organ-Pipe. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. iv. 12 Between two Dogs, which hath the deeper mouth. View more context for this quotation
1645 J. Milton On Christ's Nativity: Hymn xiii, in Poems 7 And let the Base of Heav'ns deep Organ blow.
1709 A. Pope Autumn in Poet. Misc.: 6th Pt. vi. 739 And with deep Murmurs fills the sounding Shores.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth ii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. I. 47 ‘Why, so I can’..said one of the deepest voices that ever answered question.
1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 28 Sept. 14/1 He possesses a very fine deep bass voice.
b. with mixture of senses. Cf. 7, 9.
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. iii. 29 Curses, not lowd but deepe . View more context for this quotation
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna vii. vii. 159 They began to breathe Deep curses.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > late or well-advanced
highOE
late1583
onwarda1586
deep1601
far gone1607
advanced1653
tardive1905
1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love iv. iii. sig. G4v I marle how forward the day is..'Slight 'tis deeper then I tooke it, past fiue.
** Of persons, and their faculties.
16. ‘Having the power to enter far into a subject’ (Johnson), penetrating, profound; having profound knowledge, learning, or insight.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > high intelligence, genius > [adjective]
deepc1175
profoundc1300
ingenious1483
of (a) great, deep, etc., reach1579
deep-seen1598
gulf-breasted1598
large-souled1638
large-minded1696
bright1707
strongheaded1789
genial1825
dungeonable1855
superintelligent1857
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > scholarly knowledge, erudition > [adjective] > very learned
ripeOE
deepc1175
profoundc1300
well-lettereda1387
well-groundeda1438
sad1523
well-knowledged1595
solid1600
well-tutored1600
accomplished1603
grounded1613
deep-read1639
scientissimous1650
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > scholarly knowledge, erudition > [adjective] > of knowledge: well-founded, deep
deepc1175
profound?c1422
soundc1440
recondite1644
solid1668
valid1851
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7084 Þatt haffdenn dep innsihht. & witt.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 9237 Of wit noble, Depe of discrecioun.
1577 R. Stanyhurst Treat. Descr. Irelande vii. f. 27/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I A deepe clearke and one that red much.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iii. vii. 75 Meditating with two deepe Diuines. View more context for this quotation
a1627 T. Middleton et al. Widdow (1652) i. ii. 10 I shalbe glad to learn too, Of one so deep as you are.
1640 Bp. J. Hall Episcopacie i. v. 20 Wise Fregivillæus (a deep head, and one that was able to cut even betwixt the league, the Church, and the State).
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Surrey 84 He was no deep Sea-man.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xv. vi. 238 The deepest Politicians who see to the Bottom. View more context for this quotation
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 249 The world grown old, her deep discernment shows, Claps spectacles on her sagacious nose.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits i. 27 He [sc. Carlyle] was clever and deep, but he defied the sympathies of every body.
1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 19 There is none of Plato's writings which shows so deep an insight into the sources of human evil.
17. Profound in craft or subtlety; in modern slang, profoundly cunning, artful, or sly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > cunning > [adjective] > profound in craft or subtlety
profoundc1300
deepa1535
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 37/2 Hee was close and secrete, and a deepe dissimuler.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 776 (margin) Oh depe and wretched dissimulation.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III ii. i. 38 Deepe, hollow, trecherous, and full of guile. View more context for this quotation
1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 56 There is a Machiavilian Plot..And deep design in 't.
1688 T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia iii. i. 46 Fools! nay there I am sure you are out: They are all deep, they are very deep and sharp.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 485. ⁋8 Which is the deeper man of the two.
1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations II. xiii. 212 You're a deep one, Mr. Pip.
1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (at cited word) ‘He's as deep as a well’, and ‘He's as deep as Wilkes’, are common expressions to indicate subtilty and craft.
18. Of an agent: Who does (what is expressed) deeply, profoundly, gravely, excessively.
ΚΠ
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. QQQviv Among the moste depe synners.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iv. ii. 73 Two deepe enemies, Foes to my rest. View more context for this quotation
1615 J. Stephens Ess. & Characters (new ed.) 378 Yet she is a deepe Idolater.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 330 She had been the deepest sufferer by far.
1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. i. 7 Shakspeare was no deep reader.
1884 A. R. Pennington Wiclif ii. 28 A great favourite with deep thinkers.
19.
a. Much immersed, involved, or implicated (in debt, guilt, ruin, drink, etc.); far advanced, far on.Often passing into the adverb.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > indebtedness > [adjective] > much
deepa1566
a1566 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) sig. Fiii For all their hie lookes, I know some stickes full deepe in Marchants bookes.
1587 R. Hovenden in C. R. L. Fletcher Collectanea (1885) I. 215 Being..deepe in your Lordships debt.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. iv. 209 For in this sinne he is as deepe as I. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iv. i. 196 How deepe I am in loue. View more context for this quotation
1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 58 Comming from a drink-feast..deepe in drinke.
1662 T. Hobbes Mr Hobbes Considered 6 To his dammage some thousands of pounds deep.
1771 Hist. Sir William Harrington I. vi. 55 I shall be at as great a loss, being that sum deep with my banker already.
1782 W. Cowper Boadicea 16 Rome shall perish..Deep in ruin as in guilt.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 494 The age of virtuous politics is past, And we are deep in that of cold pretence.
1856 Macleod in A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking i. 9 The Plebeians..got deeper and deeper into debt.
b. Greatly immersed, engrossed, absorbed (in some occupation).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > [adjective] > absorbed, engrossed
absolute1483
rapta1500
wrapped1548
full1578
bewrapped1589
immerse1626
wholehearted1644
undistracted1659
absorpt1697
wrapped (up) in1711
deep1735
absorbed1763
undiverted1798
unindifferent1813
whole-souled1821
absorbing1825
wrapped1884
hung-up on1966
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > [adjective] > taking part in some action > deeply involved in
deep1735
1735 A. Pope Of Char. of Women 9 Now deep in Taylor and the Book of Martyrs.
1742 T. Gray Let. 24 May in Corr. (1971) I. 203 I was in the Coffee-house very deep in advertisements.
1821 Ld. Byron Marino Faliero (2nd issue) i. i. 5 Still the Signory is deep in council.
1855 R. Browning By Fireside iii There he is at it, deep in Greek.
III. Expressing degree.
20.
a. Examples of the comparative and superlative. Cf. Also deepmost adj.
ΚΠ
OE Exodus 364 Niwe flodas Noe oferlað, þrymfæst þeoden, mid his þrim sunum, þone deopestan drencefloda þara ðe gewurde on woruldrice.
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 6567 In deppest flod.
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 344 Þe depperste place of helle.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xiv. lv. (Tollem. MS.) Þe depper [1495 deper] þe diche is withinne.
c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 21 To þe deppest place.
?1504 S. Hawes Example of Vertu sig. hh.i Then went we downe to a depper vale.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage viii. v. 760 Still waters are deepest.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xxxviii. 242 As well the Grave, as any other deeper place.
b. The superlative is used absol. = deepest part.
ΚΠ
a1400–50 Alexander 712 Into þe dyppest of þe dyke bothum.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) iv. 115 They wente and dwelled in the deppeste of the foreste of Ardeyne.
1556 tr. J. de Flores Histoire de Aurelio & Isabelle sig. C6 From the depest of the earth vnto the greatest height of the heauen.
a1861 A. H. Clough Poems & Prose Remains (1869) II. 72 And, in his slumber's deepest, he beheld,..our father Cain.
Compounds
C1. Attributive uses of phrases, as deep-mouth (= deep-mouthed adj.), deep-water, deep-well, deep sea n.
ΚΠ
1795 J. Phillips Gen. Hist. Inland Navigation (rev. ed.) 324 A deep-water canal at this place would be essentially useful.
1806 Sporting Mag. 28 192 A deep-mouth Norman hound.
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. I. 682/2 Deep-well pump, a pump specifically adapted for oil and brine wells which are bored of small diameters and to great depths.
1880 Harper's Mag. Aug. 341/2 He sat down..to the business of hand-lining for deep-water fish.
1890 Nature 10 Apr. 541 There will be no deep-water channel into the river.
1906 Daily Chron. 5 Sept. 3/3 To allow these deep-well waters..to run heedlessly to waste, is a policy of which a later generation of Australians may have bitter cause for complaint.
1909 Daily Chron. 8 Sept. 7/3 It is a natural deep-water harbour.
1963 Gloss. Mining Terms (B.S.I.) iv. 6 Deep well pump, any kind of pump delivering from a well, shaft or borehole.
C2. Parasynthetic derivatives, forming adjectives.
deep-bellied adj. [deep belly + -ed suffix2] having a deep belly.
ΚΠ
1682 London Gaz. No. 1744/4 A dark brown Mare..fat, and deep-bellied.
deep-bosomed adj. [Greek βαθύκολπος]
ΚΠ
1851 T. A. Buckley tr. Homer Iliad 346 Trojan (dames) and deep-bosomed Dardanians.
1876 W. Pater Greek Studies (1895) 81 The deep-bosomed daughters of the Ocean.
1905 R. Garnett William Shakespeare Pedagogue & Poacher 56 Not all deep-bosomed earth's wide fruitfulness.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 14 Aug. 2/3 The brown-faced, deep-bosomed peasant women.
deep-brained adj.
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K4v Deepe brain'd sonnets.
deep-breasted adj.
ΚΠ
1935 W. G. Hardy Father Abraham 101 A tall, deep-breasted woman was standing in the door of the tent.
deep-browed adj.
ΚΠ
a1821 J. Keats Sonn. Chapman's Homer Deep-browed Homer.
deep-chested adj.
ΚΠ
1838 G. P. R. James Robber I. i. 10 He was both broad and deep-chested.
deep-coloured adj.
ΚΠ
1772 W. Hamilton in Philos. Trans. 1771 (Royal Soc.) 61 22 Deep-coloured flames burst forth.
deep-ditched adj.
ΚΠ
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. lvi No stronger walled then depe ditched.
deep-eyed adj.
ΚΠ
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna i. li. 26 Sculptures like life and thought; immoveable, deep-eyed.
deep-faced adj.
ΚΠ
1908 Westm. Gaz. 23 Dec. 4/1 A number of golfers playing with deep-faced, round-headed drivers.
deep-flewed adj.
ΚΠ
1735 W. Somervile Chace i. 286 The deep-flew'd Hound Breed up with Care.
1832 J. Baxter Libr. Agric. & Hort. Knowl. (ed. 2) 205 All light sharp-nosed dogs will always be much more inclined to riot than deep-flewed dogs.
deep-grassed adj.
ΚΠ
1906 Westm. Gaz. 21 May 1/3 The hedge on either side is just high enough to hide the deep-grassed meadows.
deep-meadowed adj. [Greek βαθυλείμων]
ΚΠ
1842 Ld. Tennyson Morte d'Arthur in Poems (new ed.) II. 16 It lies Deep-meadow'd, happy, fair with orchard-lawns.
deep-nosed adj.
ΚΠ
1859 J. Richardson Yarrell's Hist. Brit. Fishes (ed. 3) II. 406 The Deep-nosed Pipe-fish is immediately recognised by the compressed form of the face.
deep-piled adj.
ΚΠ
1870 D. Rock Textile Fabrics (S. Kensington Mus.) Introd. p. lxxx A dark blue deep-piled velvet.
deep-rutted adj.
ΚΠ
1836 T. Hook Gilbert Gurney III. iv. 217 At the corner of the deep-rutted lane.
1906 Daily Chron. 10 Mar. 4/4 There is a sort of road, steep, winding, deep-rutted down to the stream.
deep scarleted adj.
ΚΠ
1622 T. Dekker & P. Massinger Virgin Martir ii. sig. C4v Pimpled, deepe scarletted, rubified, and carbuncled faces.
deep sided adj.
ΚΠ
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 128 A long, a large, and deepe sided body.
deep-sighted adj.
ΚΠ
a1797 H. Walpole Mem. George III (1845) I. viii. 117 Wholesome and deep-sighted advice.
deep skirted adj.
ΚΠ
1668 London Gaz. No. 272/4 A deep skirted Saddle of red Cloth.
deep-stapled adj.
ΚΠ
1882 Times 27 June English wools..of the deep-stapled class.
deep-thoughted adj.
ΚΠ
1840 G. Darley in Wks. of Beaumont & Fletcher I. Introd. p. xix Jonson..repaid both with the following deep-thoughted lines.
deep-throated adj.
ΚΠ
1844 E. B. Barrett Dead Pan in Poems II. 269 The hoarse deep-throated ages Laugh your god~ships unto scorn.
deep-toned adj.
ΚΠ
1780 W. Cowper Progress of Error 605 Strike on the deep-toned chord the sum of all.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda III. v. xxxvi. 86 With deep-toned decision.
deep-uddered adj.
ΚΠ
1842 Ld. Tennyson Gardener's Daughter in Poems (new ed.) II. 21 Fields..brows'd by deep-udder'd kine.
deep-vaulted adj.
ΚΠ
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 116 Hell's deep-vaulted Den. View more context for this quotation
deep-voiced adj.
ΚΠ
1847 H. W. Longfellow Evangeline ii. v. 247 The deep-voiced..ocean.
deep-waisted adj.
ΚΠ
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms Encastillé, deep-waisted, or frigate-built; as opposed to galley-built.
C3.
deep-breathe v. (intransitive)
ΚΠ
1964 Punch 26 Feb. 315/1 In the morning he deep-breathed.
deep-breathing n. the act of breathing deeply as a form of physical exercise.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > gymnastics > exercise > [noun] > specific exercises
breathing1605
breather1802
arm swing1859
setting-up drill1862
grasshopper march1884
lunge1889
push-up1897
sit-up1900
pull-up1901
deep-breathing1904
bag-punching1927
press-up1928
setting-up exercise1935
pullover1936
bear crawl1937
burpee1939
knee-bend1941
leg raise1944
dip1945
uddiyana1949
squat thrust1950
lateral1954
pull-down1956
aquacise1968
step-up1973
abdominal crunch1981
power walking1982
crunch1983
gut-buster1983
stomach crunch1986
1904 B. MacFadden Building of Vital Power 115 Through deep breathing conducted as an exercise, the lungs become larger.
1936 W. Faulkner Absalom, Absalom! vii. 217 He will raise the window and do deep-breathing.
1965 F. Sargeson Mem. Peon vi. 161 The rules were, nothing to drink except water; deep-breathing exercises and no tobacco.
deep-cover n. attributive applied to an intelligence agent whose real identity and allegiance are thoroughly protected.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > political police > [adjective] > charged with secret service > with identity protected
deep-cover1963
1963 N.Y. Times 7 Apr. 9/1 He was born Abraham Hackelman and was a ‘deep cover’ agent in the eighteen nineties.
1979 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 26 Jan. 5/2 This corroborated information supplied to the FBI by a deep-cover Soviet double agent in New York.
deep digging n.
ΚΠ
1933 O.E.D. Suppl. Deep digging.
deep-dish pie n. U.S. ‘a pie, usually a fruit pie, baked in a deep dish and having no bottom crust’ (Webster 1934).
ΚΠ
1936 P. G. Wodehouse Laughing Gas ii. 29 I polished off the steak and put in a bid for deep-dish apple pie with a bit of cheese on the side.
1943 Gen 2 Jan. 33/2 Their [American] diet..consists of little but..deep-dish apple tart.
deep-draft adj. (or deep-draught) Nautical that displaces deep water.
ΚΠ
1908 Westm. Gaz. 30 Oct. 6/4 None of our inward water-borne traffic enters the Port in deep-draft vessels.
deep drawing n. a kind of cold-working in which a sheet or strip of metal is subjected to considerable plastic deformation by being forced through a die, so producing hollow parts such as cylinders.
ΚΠ
1925 Forging, Stamping, Heat Treating 11 428/1 Several annealing and pickling operations..are necessary on extremely deep drawing.
1929 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 120 460 The force required and the stresses set up at various stages in the deep drawing of sheet metal.
1932 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 125 559 The deep-drawing qualities of steel sheets.
deep-etch v. (transitive and intransitive) .
ΚΠ
1950 Inland Printer 125 47 If a plate is not completely developed before it is deep-etched, the deep-etching solution will not attack the valleys in the grain which are covered with coating.
deep-etch n. a photo-engraving process in which the lithographic plate is slightly etched.
ΚΠ
1948 H. Missingham Student's Guide Commerc. Art ii. 141 Deep-etch, used on half-tone blocks where the white parts of the drawing would have a very small screen dot over them unless this instruction were given for their removal.
1960 G. A. Glaister Gloss. Bk. 99/2 Deep-etch process, a method of making a lithographic plate by photo-mechanical means. It involves the printing on to metal of a photographic positive, and the very slight..etching of the plate.
1967 E. Chambers Photolitho-offset 270 Deep-etch, lithographic platemaking process in which the work areas are slightly etched (about 0·003 in.) into the surface of the plate. Positives are used for printing to metal using special solutions, with the etches supplying space for the lacquer base of the ink-receptive printing image.
deep-etching n. see deep-etch n.
ΚΠ
1897 Process Photogram Sept. 143 For a deep etching the solution would have to be renewed several times.
deep-fat-fry v. (transitive and intransitive) = deep-fry vb.
ΚΠ
1955 in Amer. Speech (1956) 31 84 They deep-fat-fry them.
deep-fat-fryer n. (also deep-fat-frier) = deep-fryer n.
ΚΠ
1947 M. Given Mod. Encycl. Cooking II. 1609 Deep fat fryer. Buy as a unit.
deep-fat-frying n. = deep-frying n.
ΚΠ
1926 S. E. Nash Cooking Craft vi. 35 French or Deep Fat Frying.
deep field n. Cricket that part of the field which is near the boundary, esp. behind the bowler; also, a fieldsman or his position there.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricket ground > [noun] > parts of field
long field1828
leg1833
silly point1862
deep field1870
country1878
infield1898
the deep1906
rough1952
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > fielder > fielders by position
middle wicket1772
long-stop1773
second stop1773
stop1773
long fieldsman1790
long field?1801
third man1801
outscout1805
leg1816
point1816
slip1816
backstop1819
long fielder1835
long leg1835
long field off1837
short leg1843
square leg1849
cover-point1850
long-stopper1851
middle-off1851
cover-slip1854
long off1854
left fielder1860
short square1860
mid-off1865
extra cover (point)1867
deep-fielder1870
mid-on1870
cover1897
leg trap1897
infield1898
deep field1900
slipper1903
slip fieldsman1906
midwicket1909
infieldsman1910
slip-catcher1920
infielder1927
leg slip1956
1870 Times 20 July 10/3 Mr. Francis was caught at deep field.
1900 Westm. Gaz. 22 June 3/1 There is scarcely a bowler nowadays who does not station at least one man in the deep-field.
1900 Westm. Gaz. 22 June 3/2 Our first two batsmen..succeeded in getting the ball between his deep fields.
1933 A. G. Macdonell England, their England vii. 114 Mr. Southcott..went away into the deep field, about a hundred and twenty yards from the wicket.
deep-fielder n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > fielder > fielders by position
middle wicket1772
long-stop1773
second stop1773
stop1773
long fieldsman1790
long field?1801
third man1801
outscout1805
leg1816
point1816
slip1816
backstop1819
long fielder1835
long leg1835
long field off1837
short leg1843
square leg1849
cover-point1850
long-stopper1851
middle-off1851
cover-slip1854
long off1854
left fielder1860
short square1860
mid-off1865
extra cover (point)1867
deep-fielder1870
mid-on1870
cover1897
leg trap1897
infield1898
deep field1900
slipper1903
slip fieldsman1906
midwicket1909
infieldsman1910
slip-catcher1920
infielder1927
leg slip1956
1870 Times 9 Aug. 3/4 Deep-fielders have now a better chance of compassing with effect the space allotted them.
deep-fry v. (transitive and intransitive)
ΚΠ
1933 Mod. Pract. Cookery 195/2 Be very careful when deep-frying not to fill the pan too full.
1970 New Yorker 24 Oct. 43/2 It's cornmeal and onions, deep fried.
deep-fryer n. (also deep-frier)
ΚΠ
1951 E. David French Country Cooking 18 A deep frier with a basket is necessary for chips.
deep-frying n. the frying of food in sufficient oil or fat to cover it completely.
ΚΠ
1932 E. Craig Cooking with E. Craig 113 Use 1 or 1½ lb...fat, lard or olive oil, for deep frying.
deep kiss n. (see quot. 1951).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > kiss > [noun] > kiss with insertion of tongue
soul kiss1877
French kiss1922
deep kiss1951
1951 C. S. Ford & F. A. Beach Patterns Sexual Behaviour iii. 49 The ‘deep kiss’..involves thrusting the tongue of one partner into the mouth of the other.
deep kissing n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > kiss > [noun] > kiss with insertion of tongue > action of giving French kisses
cataglottism1656
French kissing1859
soul kiss1877
slobbing1904
deep kissing1948
1948 A. C. Kinsey et al. Sexual Behavior Human Male x. 369 Deep kissing is utilized as a prime source of erotic arousal... A deep kiss may involve considerable tongue contacts.
deep litter n. a deep layer of litter (litter n. 3b) used in poultry-houses, etc.; a method of keeping poultry in such conditions; also attributive.
ΚΠ
1946 W. A. Lippincott & L. E. Card Poultry Production (ed. 7) xii. 292 The usual procedure with deep litter is to start in the fall with two to four inches of dry litter, and add to this gradually until the floor is covered eight to ten inches deep.
1947 R. Seiden Poultry Handbk. 106 Deep-litter nests keep eggs clean.
1958 Times 19 Sept. 3/5 There had been a drop in egg production since they changed from batteries to deep litter.
1969 Guardian 25 Aug. 13/5 The sheep were all in deep litter.
deep-milker n.
ΚΠ
1879 J. P. Sheldon Dairy Farming 5/2 It is important that she should be a ‘deep milker’.
deep-milking n. the production of a good yield of milk.
ΚΠ
1833 Ridgemont Farm Rep. in British Husbandry (1840) III. i. 148 The large, heavy, slow-fattening but deep-milking cows of this country.
1879 J. P. Sheldon Dairy Farming 36/2 Deep milking..is a question of breeding and training.
1923 Discovery Sept. 244/2 The deep-milking propensity of some cows may be transmitted through the bull to the next generation of female calves.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 8 Mar. 31/1 An opportunity to purchase well-framed, deep-milking Ayrshire cattle.
deep ploughing n.
ΚΠ
1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 641 On the broad principle that deep ploughing ought to be the rule.
deep-rooter n. something which takes deep root.
ΚΠ
1898 Westm. Gaz. 19 Mar. 2/1 Her first cousin..is a deep-rooter, and must be looked after betimes.
1927 Smallholder 26 Mar. 105/2 The main-crop, deep-rooters should be sown at the end of May.
deep-sinker n. Australian slang (a) a drinking-glass of the largest size, so called from a fanciful resemblance to a deep mineshaft; (b) the drink served in such a glass.
ΚΠ
1886 F. Cowan Australia 32 Long-sleever, Bishop Barker, and Deep-sinker, synonyms of Yankee Schooner.
1897 Argus (Melbourne) 15 Jan. 6/5 in E. E. Morris Austral Eng. (1898) A tumbler—whether medium, small, or deep-sinker.
Deep South n. the southernmost parts of the United States, usually taken to include the states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and sometimes South Carolina; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > named regions of earth > America > North America > [noun] > United States > southern states
south1779
Sunny South1833
Negroland1836
Old South1847
Dixie1859
Cousin Sally1861
sunbelt1918
down home1920
Deep South1936
1936 ‘R. West’ Thinking Reed i. 23 He had thought himself right out of the illusions common to the Deep South.
1938 C. H. Matschat Suwannee River 285 A trip to the Deep South.
1940 C. McCullers Heart is Lonely Hunter i. i. 6 The town was in the middle of the deep South.
1941 W. S. Maugham Writer's Notebk. (1949) 327 The vicissitudes of the war have brought her down to the deep South, but till then she had always lived in Portland, Oregon.
1952 Spectator 21 Nov. 710/2 A ‘Deep South’ American novel.
1967 Times 8 July 11/1 In the two years since the voting rights Act was passed the registration of Negro voters in the deep South has increased by 78 per cent.
deep space n. a term for the regions of space that are either (a) beyond the solar system or (b) well outside the earth's atmosphere; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > space > [noun] > beyond solar system
outer space1842
deep space1952
1952 M. St. Clair in ‘E. Crispin’ Best SF (1955) 184 I am aware of an intense loneliness. It's a normal response to the deep space situation.
1954 Jrnl. Brit. Interplanetary Soc. 13 16 These specialized ‘deep-space’ rocket vehicles would, of course, be refuelled and serviced from satellite ships.
1960 F. Gaynor Dict. Aerospace 69 Deep space, a colloquial term for space beyond the outermost boundaries of our solar system.
1962 New Scientist 22 Mar. 676/2 Deep-space missiles..being fired far out into space and then falling back to approach the target at a steep angle and a high velocity.
1969 Daily Tel. 11 Jan. 1/4 They will also send back to Earth information about deep space during the 155 million-mile journey [to Venus].
deep structure n. Linguistics (see quot. 1965).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > [noun] > deep or surface structure
surface structure1964
deep structure1965
1965 N. Chomsky Aspects Theory Syntax i. 16 The syntactic component of a grammar must specify, for each sentence, a deep structure that determines its semantic interpretation and a surface structure that determines its phonetic interpretation.
1966 L. J. Cohen Diversity of Meaning (ed. 2) ii. 37 The basic rules generate so-called ‘deep structures’ which receive an interpretation from the semantic rules.
deep tank n. a tank for water ballast or fuel oil, formed by cutting off a part of a ship's hold.
ΚΠ
1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. Deep tank.
1935 Jane's Fighting Ships 113 No. 1 stokehold now converted into four oil-fuel deep-tanks.
deep therapy n. the treatment of disease by short-wave X-rays (see quots.).
ΚΠ
1944 R. Phillips Super-voltage X-ray Therapy ii. 4 These descriptive terms—‘superficial’ therapy for voltages up to 130 kv., ‘deep’ therapy for the 200–400 kv. range, and ‘supervoltage’ therapy for 500 kv. upwards—have little to recommend them except brevity.
1967 New Scientist 29 June 760/1 Whereas the term ‘deep therapy’ formerly implied X-ray generators of several hundred kilovolts, it now implies accelerators of, effectively, several million volts.
deep throat n. [after a pornographic film (1972) so titled] a person working within an organization who supplies anonymously information concerning misconduct by other members of the organization; originally applied (with capital initials) to the principal informant in the Watergate n.3 scandal.
ΚΠ
1973 National Rev. (U.S.) 22 June 697/2 So you want to write a best-seller... Well, for starters, how about the hijacking bit?.. Characters? Mafia and Deep Throat types are winners this season.]
1974 Time 22 Apr. 55/1 Foremost among their key sources was a man whom the authors still tantalizingly refuse to name. They called him ‘Deep Throat’, and report only that he was a pre-Watergate friend of Woodward's, with ‘extremely sensitive’ antennae.
1974 C. Bernstein & B. Woodward in Playboy May 218/2 In newspaper terminology, this meant the discussions were on ‘deep background’. Woodward explained the arrangement to managing editor Howard Simons one day. He had taken to calling the source ‘my friend’, but Simons dubbed him ‘Deep Throat’. The name stuck.
1982 Times 3 Nov. 1 A fresh threat of industrial action emerged last night after the publication of documents leaked by a ‘deep throat’ in the National Coal Board.
deep trance n. a deep hypnotic state; also attributive.
ΚΠ
1892 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 27 Aug. 459 The stages of hypnosis attained, varied from a slight degree of drowsiness to deep trance.
1959 Listener 31 Dec. 1165/3 Deep-trance subjects.
deep-tranced adj.
ΚΠ
1927 W. de la Mare Stuff & Nonsense 48 A panther spies them there, Deep-tranced in speechless rapture.
Draft additions March 2017
deep throat v. transitive to take (an erect penis) fully into the mouth and throat when performing fellatio; to fellate (a man) in his way; also intransitive.
ΚΠ
1977 M. Scott Threeway Team iv. 89 He was making plenty of noise..while he deep-throated him.
1987 X. Hollander Happy Hooker (rev. ed.) iii. 46 He was pushing my head deeper into his genitals so frenziedly that I was practically deep-throating him.
1999 Gay Times May (Advt. Insert) 6/4 Oral Sex. Learn the technique of the experts (including how to ‘deep throat’).
2009 N.Y. Mag. 2 Nov. 33/2 Wifey deep-throats me... awesome.
Draft additions March 2017
deep throat n. fellatio during which the erect penis is taken fully into the mouth and throat.
ΚΠ
1972 ‘J. Gerard’ Deep Throat (film dialogue) in J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1994) I. 575/2 Like deep throat... Have you even taken a penis all the way down to the bottom of your throat?
1988 D. French Working (1991) v. 132 Some thought tongue flicks could bring a guy off the fastest. Some thought deep throat was the answer.
2000 N.Y. Press 29 Mar. ii. 70/5 (advt.) Looking for in shape, good looking guy, 18–35, who knows how to give great head and deep throat.
Draft additions June 2004
deep cycle adj. of, relating to, or designating a type of battery, esp. a Nicad rechargeable cell, that can be fully discharged and recharged a number of times.
ΚΠ
1974 Electrochem. Soc. Battery Div. Fall Meeting 73 This present work is a study of the temperature-dependence of corrosion of lead-antimony alloy positive grids in cells in deep cycle service.
2001 Harrowsmith Country Life Aug. 50/1 12 Trojan T105 6-volt deep-cycle batteries (common on rock lifts and golf carts, deep-cycle batteries are meant to dwindle down, unlike car batteries, which charge all the time).
Draft additions June 2004
deep cycling n. the process of fully discharging and then fully recharging a battery, esp. a Nicad rechargeable cell.
ΚΠ
1970 Power Sources 3: Proc. 7th Internat. Symp. xi. 191 Sealed thin sintered plate, nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries are compared with other systems... Details are given of typical uses by the British and French Armies for regular deep cycling.
1998 Motor Boat & Yachting Jan. 135/3 They combine deep-cycling ability with a high cold-cranking amps (CCA) rating for starting large engines.
Draft additions September 2003
deep ecology n. a radical environmental philosophy and movement which regards human life as merely one of many equal components of the global ecosystem, and seeks to counter anthropocentric attitudes and policies.
ΚΠ
1972 A. Naess in Inquiry 16 95 The Deep Ecology movement: (1) Rejection of the man-in-environment image in favour of the relational, total-field image.
2001 Daily Press (Virginia) (Nexis) 31 May a14 Simply put, they believe in the philosophy of deep ecology, which states that all life is equal and human life has no special value.
Draft additions December 2005
deep-fried adj.
ΚΠ
1916 Kellogg (Iowa) Enterprise 11 Feb. These are easier to make than the deep fried croquettes.
2001 Adventure Trav. July 8/3 To sing the virtues of deep fried Mars bars.
Draft additions September 2003
deep house n. (also with capital initials) a variety of house music with a comparatively relaxed and mellow sound influenced by soul, gospel, and blues, and characterized by powerful vocals and often a relatively slow beat.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > pop music > [noun] > other pop music
a cappella1905
soundclash1925
marabi1933
doo-wop1958
filk1959
folk-rock1963
Liverpool sound1963
Mersey beat1963
Mersey sound1963
surf music1963
malombo1964
mbaqanga1964
easy listening1965
disco music1966
Motown1966
boogaloo1967
power pop1967
psychedelia1967
yé-yé1967
agitpop1968
bubblegum1968
Tamla Motown1968
Tex-Mex1968
downtempo1969
taarab1969
thrash1969
world music1969
funk1970
MOR1970
tropicalism1970
Afrobeat1971
electro-pop1971
post-rock1971
techno-pop1971
Tropicalia1971
tropicalismo1971
disco1972
Krautrock1972
schlager1973
Afropop1974
punk funk1974
disco funk1975
Europop1976
mgqashiyo1976
P-funk1976
funkadelia1977
karaoke music1977
alternative music1978
hardcore1978
psychobilly1978
punkabilly1978
R&B1978
cowpunk1979
dangdut1979
hip-hop1979
Northern Soul1979
rap1979
rapping1979
jit1980
trance1980
benga1981
New Romanticism1981
post-punk1981
rap music1981
scratch1982
scratch-music1982
synth-pop1982
electro1983
garage1983
Latin1983
Philly1983
New Age1984
New Age music1985
ambient1986
Britpop1986
gangster rap1986
house1986
house music1986
mbalax1986
rai1986
trot1986
zouk1986
bhangra1987
garage1987
hip-house1987
new school1987
old school1987
thrashcore1987
acid1988
acid house1988
acid jazz1988
ambience1988
Cantopop1988
dance1988
deep house1988
industrial1988
swingbeat1988
techno1988
dream pop1989
gangsta rap1989
multiculti1989
new jack swing1989
noise-pop1989
rave1989
Tejano1989
breakbeat1990
chill-out music1990
indie1990
new jack1990
new jill swing1990
noisecore1990
baggy1991
drum and bass1991
gangsta1991
handbag house1991
hip-pop1991
loungecore1991
psychedelic trance1991
shoegazing1991
slowcore1991
techno-house1991
gabba1992
jungle1992
sadcore1992
UK garage1992
darkcore1993
dark side1993
electronica1993
G-funk1993
sampladelia1994
trip hop1994
break1996
psy-trance1996
nu skool1997
folktronica1999
dubstep2002
Bongo Flava2003
grime2003
Bongo2004
singeli2015
1988 New Musical Express 16 July 20/3 The direct decendants [sic] of that sound are the Deep House records made in Chicago—a crossbreed of gospel influenced vocals and hard synthesiser trax.
2000 Philadelphia City Paper 27 Apr. 87/2 Experience the vibrant sounds of dub, deep house, roots, reggae and dancehall in a candlelit, soothing atmosphere.
Draft additions December 2005
deep tissue n. Medicine (a) (a) tissue lying beneath the skin and subcutaneous tissue; (b) colloquial = deep-tissue massage n. at Additions.
ΚΠ
1835 Lancet 17 May 174/2 Inflammation is situated in the deep tissues.
1915 G. W. Crile Origin & Nature of Emotions 82 The distribution of pain receptors for physical contact within..the lungs, the retroperitoneal tissue, the deep tissue of the back, [etc.].
1997 Prevention Nov. 118/1 I agreed to sacrifice my body to four of the most commonly used massage therapies..—Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT), Shiatsu, deep tissue, and Swedish.
2001 Adventure Trav. July 20/4 Superficial frostbite is more severe... Both the skin and upper tissue layers are damaged though deep tissue remains unaffected.
Draft additions December 2005
deep-tissue massage n. a type of massage therapy intended to stimulate the body's deep tissue.
ΚΠ
1982 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 11 June Training consisted of running 90 miles a week, body work, deep-tissue massage, chiropractic therapy and a carefully monitored diet.
1992 Men's Health Mar. 95/1 Aston Patterning combines deep-tissue massage, movement education and something called environmental redesign.
2000 Marie Claire July 269/2 Sessions involve vigorous rocking and rolling movements by the therapist, and a heavy dose of deep-tissue massage to drive out toxins.
Draft additions July 2002
deep vein thrombosis n. Medicine thrombosis of one or more large veins (lying deep in the tissues), esp. in the leg, which may result in pulmonary embolism; an instance of this; abbreviated DVT.
ΚΠ
1954 Brit. Jrnl. Surg. 42 276 It is considered important to have a venogram..in cases of deep vein thrombosis.
1967 Brain 90 45 She also had a deep vein thrombosis, and developed a generalized rash and fever which were thought to be due to some form of sensitivity.
1978 Arch. Surg. 113 429 The presence of deep leg vein thromboses detected by labeled fibrinogen was confirmed by dye phlebography.
1989 Cancer 64 531 Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the arm unrelated to central venous cannulation is an uncommon occurrence in patients with malignancy.
2001 N.Y. Times 2 May b1/4 A well-traveled public, crammed into economy class, is increasingly showing up with deep vein thrombosis, potentially life-threatening blood clots that can form in the legs from inactivity.
Draft additions July 2002
deep venous thrombosis n. Medicine = deep vein thrombosis n. at Additions.
ΚΠ
1944 J. Homans in Surg., Gynecol. & Obstetr. 79 70/1 The nature of deep venous thrombosis beginning below the knee.
1965 Ann. Surg. 162 438 (title) Early detection of deep venous thrombosis of the legs using I-131 tagged human fibrinogen.
2002 European Jrnl. Neurol. 9 89 Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a frequent condition which carries a significant risk for stroke when associated with deep venous thrombosis.
Draft additions March 2014
deep discount adj. originally U.S. (a) designating or characterized by heavily discounted prices; (b) Banking and Finance designating financial securities issued at a substantial discount to their redemption value, but usually carrying a low rate of interest relative to prevailing market rates.
ΚΠ
1892 St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch 12 Feb. 5 (advt.) The deep discount sale now in progress at Swope's.., furnishes the finest opportunity of the year for purchasing men's, ladies' and children's best quality footwear at reduced prices.
1956 Econometrica 24 415 The nonlegal reason why deep discount bonds are hard to sell is due to the fact that the yield-to-maturity is composed of two parts: the coupon rate of interest plus capital appreciation.
1972 Financial Times 18 Sept. 36/3 The town centre supermarketeers who tend to go for limited, deep discount promotions on selected national brands.
1981 N.Y. Times 9 Mar. d7/5 Investors like deep discount issues because they can accurately predict the yield and maturity of the investment.
1993 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 30 Jan. a1/1 The alleged fraud forced the deep-discount drugstore chain..to seek bankruptcy court protection.
2002 E. McLaney & P. Atrill Accounting (rev. ed.) xv. 479 Deep discount bonds are likely to appeal to investors who do not have short-term cash flow needs, since they must wait for the loan to mature before receiving a significant return.
Draft additions June 2015
deep web n. (also with capital initials) Computing the part of the World Wide Web that is not indexed by (and not discoverable via) standard search engines, comprising content which is dynamically generated or to which access is limited, such as password-protected resources or encrypted networks.
ΚΠ
2000 Jrnl. Electronic Publishing (Electronic text) No. 2. Many Web pages are generated on the fly from data in databases, so the total size of the ‘deep Web’ is considerably larger.
2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 23 Feb. b1/1 The challenges that the major search engines face in penetrating this so-called Deep Web go a long way toward explaining why they still can't provide satisfying answers.
2012 S. Townsend Woman who went to Bed for Year xlii. 270 And I'm not talking about the deep web. Even a beginner can access amazing things, things that will change your life.
2013 Wall St. Jrnl. 17 Sept. a15/5 Clued in by hacker friends, the book's heroine..ventures into the Deep Web.
Draft additions September 2020
deep learning n. Computing a type of machine learning considered to be in some way more dynamic or complete than others; esp. machine learning based on artificial neural networks in which multiple layers of processing are used to extract progressively higher level features from data.
ΚΠ
1986 R. Dechter in Proc. 5th AAAI National Conf. Artific. Intelligence 181/1 When deep learning is used in conjunction with restricting the level of learning we get deep first-order learning..and deep second-order learning.
2012 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 26 June b1 Google researchers are not alone in exploiting the techniques, which are referred to as ‘deep learning’ models.
2016 I. Goodfellow et al. Deep Learning i. 25 Deep learning is now used by many top technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, Baidu, Apple [etc.].
Draft additions September 2020
deep history n. the period of human existence before written or recorded history; the study of this, typically employing methods and theories from linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, and genetics; (also) a narrative or account of events during this period.
ΚΠ
1993 M. E. Soulé in S. R. Kellert & E. O. Wilson Biophilia Hypothesis xv. 448 Survival in prehistory (deep history) depended on knowledge of natural history, the brain having evolved long before farming and pastoral practices.
2011 A. Shryock et al. in A. Shryock & D. L. Smail Deep Hist. ii. 37 The ability of historical linguists to discern kinship across great distances revolutionized deep history in the late eighteenth century in ways that were profoundly resonant with the deep history that Darwin built.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
deepv.
/diːp/, U.S. /dip/ rare.† 1. transitive. To make deep, deepen. Obsolete.† 3. To go deep, penetrate. Obsolete.† 4. transitive. To plunge or immerse deeply (literal and figurative); to drown. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > make deep(er) [verb (transitive)]
deepc930
depthen1587
deepena1605
c930 Laws of Æthelstan iv. §6 We cwædon be ðam blaserum, ðæt man dypte ðone aþ be þryfealdum.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7721 Þa þe dic wes idoluen & allunge ideoped.
1616 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/5) For the deping of it, iiijd.
2. intransitive. To become deep, deepen. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > become deep(er) [verb (intransitive)]
deep1589
deepen1703
1589 W. Borough in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations ii. 458 Vse your leade oftener..noting diligently the order of your depth, and the deeping and sholding.
1849 C. Kingsley N. Devon: Pt. I in Misc. (1860) II. 254 Nature's own glazings, deeping every instant there behind us.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)] > penetrate > deeply
divea1225
deep?c1225
seize1590
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 213 Þer waxeð wunde & deopeð intowart þe saule.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > attracting attention > engage the attention [verb (transitive)] > hold attention, absorb
swallowc1330
deepc1380
dare1547
suspend1561
preoccupy1567
devour1568
to swallow up1581
enwrap1589
invest1601
steep1603
to take up1603
spell1646
possess1653
enchain1658
engross1661
absorb1749
fix1752
rivet1762
fascinate1782
spell-bind1808
arrest1814
mesmerize1862
to turn on1903
get1913
consume1999
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > occupy or engage (a person) [verb (transitive)] > have to do with or be involved in or with > involve in something > deeply
plunge?c1400
deepa1542
immerge1611
merge1636
immerse1664
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > wrapping > wrap [verb (transitive)] > enfold or envelop > in a surrounding medium > swallow up > immaterial things
devourc1384
deep1578
to swallow up1654
c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. I. 13 It is noo nede to depe us in þis story more þan þe gospel tellith.
a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) cvi. 102 And diepe your self in travaill more and more.
1578 Bk. Christian Prayers in Private Prayers (1851) 444 A droopy night ever deepeth the minds of them.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2019).
deepadv.
/diːp/, U.S. /dip/ 1.
a. literal. Deeply; to, at, or with, a great, or specified depth; far down, in, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [adverb]
deepOE
profoundly?a1425
deeply1573
thick1670
adeep1850
the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [adverb] > far from the outside
deeplya1400
deep1490
OE Riddle 53 6 He frod dagum on oþrum wearð aglachade deope gedolgod, dumb in bendum.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 49 Heo delueð deihwamliche heore put deoppre and deoppre.
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 344 Þes ben depperst dampned in helle.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 494 Þan fell þai depe.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) iv. 116 They..wente in to the forest of Ardeyn, sore depe in it.
1601 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero Trauellers Breuiat 128 Waters do ebbe as deepe as they flow.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 201 That they may stumble on, and deeper fall. View more context for this quotation
1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iii. i. 4 My Sloop was so deep loaden, that she sailed very slow.
1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh I. 33 His hands were stuck deep into the waistband of his breeches.
b. transferred in reference to time: Far on.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > far on or late in a period of time
high1523
latewardly1720
deep1822
1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel II. vii. 158 The Abbess..died before her munificent patroness, who lived deep in Queen Elizabeth's time.
1871 W. H. Dixon Tower III. xx. 211 The three men sat up deep into the night.
1890 W. C. Russell Ocean Trag. III. xxx. 137 The work ran us deep into the afternoon.
c. In to lie deep and the like, the adverb approaches the adjective.
ΚΠ
a1704 J. Locke Conduct of Understanding §24 in Posthumous Wks. (1706) 78 If the Matter be knotty, and the Sence lies deep, the Mind must stop and buckle to it.
1807 W. Wordsworth Ode in Poems II. 158 Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears. View more context for this quotation
1828 F. D. Hemans Graves of Household in Records of Woman (ed. 2) 303 The sea, the blue lone sea, hath one, He lies where pearls lie deep.
1894 N.E.D. at Deep Prov. Still waters run deep.
d. Cricket. In the deep field (see deep adj. Compounds 3).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricket ground > [adverb] > part of field
deep1849
1849 F. W. Lillywhite in F. Lillywhite Young Cricketer's Guide 21 This fieldsman must stand deeper.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. viii. 388 The batter..cuts it beautifully to where cover-point is standing very deep, in fact almost off the ground.
1891 W. G. Grace Cricket x. 265 Mid-on..is placed close in or deep according to the wish of the bowler.
2. figurative. Deeply (in various figurative senses); profoundly, intensely, earnestly, heavily, etc.As qualifying an adjective (cf. quots. 1602, a1616) deep is obsolete (except with words of colour, as ‘deep-red stain’, where deep is historically an adj.: see deep adj. 13b); qualifying a verb, it is generally superseded in prose use by deeply, although still used in particular cases; cf. quots. 1810 –1875.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > intense emotion > [adverb]
deepa1000
inwardlya1000
inlyOE
mortallyc1390
deeplya1400
keena1400
keenlya1400
from the bottom of one's hearta1413
from (also fro) one's heart1477
profoundly1489
from the spleen?a1505
sensibly1577
with sense1578
smartlyc1580
soakingly1593
dearly1604
intimately1637
viscerally1637
exquisitely1678
sensitively1793
exaltedly1855
intensely1860
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [adverb] > by or with an oath > solemnly or gravely
deepc1385
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [adverb] > deeply
sadlya1375
deeply1557
square1570
squarely1611
deep1711
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [adverb] > pitch > low pitch
lowc1275
deep1810
deeply1883
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [adverb] > low
deep1810
deeply1883
a1000 Desc. Hell (Gr.) 108 Nu ic þe hatsie deope.
c1000 Ags. Ps. cvi. 26 Gedrefede ða deope syndan.
c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Dido. 1234 And swore so depe to hire to be trewe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 8269 Ferr and depe he vmbi-thoght, Hu þat hus it suld be wroght.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Eii Anone they ouerthrowe hym as depe in aduersite.
1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge iv. iii. sig. H3 I am deepe sad.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 31 That Fooles should be so deepe contemplatiue. View more context for this quotation
1621 H. Elsynge Notes Deb. House of Lords (1870) 90 That for honour's sake Yelverton be fyned deepe.
1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 14 A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 251 The King was so afraid to engage himself too deep.
1762 O. Goldsmith Life R. Nash 53 To tie him up..from playing deep.
1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake i. 7 An hundred dogs bayed deep and strong.
1828 C. Lamb Old Margate Hoy in Elia 2nd Ser. 35 The reason..scarcely goes deep enough into the question.
1833 C. Thirlwall in Philol. Museum 2 538 Moral inquiries..were those in which he engaged the deepest.
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. iii. 111 They drank deep of the French wine.
1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) IV. 417 The thoughts of Socrates..have certainly sunk deep into the mind of the world.
Compounds
General attributive. C1. Frequent in combination with present and past participles (in which deeply, not hyphenated, may usually be substituted).
a.
deep-going adj.
ΚΠ
1859 I. Taylor Logic in Theol. 178 A deep-going error.
deep-lying adj.
ΚΠ
1864 G. P. Marsh Man & Nature 439 The deep-lying veins.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda II. iv. xxviii. 215 The deep-lying though not obtrusive difference.
deep-questioning adj.
ΚΠ
1872 J. Morley Voltaire iv. 201 Moods of egotistic introspection and deep-questioning contemplation.
deep-reaching adj.
ΚΠ
1598 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie ii. v. sig. E3v For Flavus was a knaue. A damn'd deep-reaching villaine.
1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma xi. 348 The truth is really..more wide and deep-reaching, than the Aberglaube.
deep-sinking adj.
deep-thinking adj.
ΚΠ
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. iii. 351 To deal with the sagacious and deep-thinking one must go to the bottom of things.
deep-trenching adj.
ΚΠ
1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham Channel Islands iv. xx. 475 The deep-trenching plough..turning up a thickness of a foot of subsoil.
b.
deep-cut adj.
ΚΠ
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. viii. 59 Streams..rushing through deep-cut channels.
deep-felt adj.
ΚΠ
1807 J. Barlow Columbiad i. 23 Deep felt sorrows.
deep-grown adj.
ΚΠ
1883 Daily News 17 Sept. 2/3 Deep-grown English wools are still out of fashion.
deep-sunk adj.
ΚΠ
1857 E. Bulwer-Lytton What will he do with It? i. vi, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. June 662/1 Under the deep-sunk window.
c. deep-drawn adj., deep-laid adj., deep-set adj., etc. In poetical language, especially, these combinations are formed at will, and their number is unlimited, e.g.† deep-drenched adj. Obsolete
deep-affected adj.
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 311 Sweet, courting, deepe-affected words.
deep-affrighted adj.
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 346 Deepe-affrighted Sadnes.
deep-biting adj.
ΚΠ
1647 H. More Philos. Poems App. iii. ix By Nemesis deep-biting whips well urged.
deep-brooding adj.
ΚΠ
1776 W. J. Mickle tr. L. de Camoens Lusiad 339 Deep-brooding silence reign'd.
deep-buried adj.
ΚΠ
1855 R. C. Singleton tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. I. 142 Wealth..broodeth over his deep-buried gold.
deep-crimsoned adj.
ΚΠ
a1826 H. W. Longfellow Autumn 19 The..woods of ash deep-crimsoned.
deep-damasked adj.
ΚΠ
1820 J. Keats Eve of St. Agnes in Lamia & Other Poems 95 The tiger-moth's deep-damask'd wings.
deep-discerning adj.
ΚΠ
1843 M. Fuller in Dial July 20 Deep-eyed deep-discerning Greece.
deep-drawing adj.
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida (1623) Prol. 12 The deepe-drawing Barke do there disgorge.
ΚΠ
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. H3 Shee deepe drenched in a Sea of care. View more context for this quotation
deep-drunk adj.
ΚΠ
1706 N. Rowe Ulysses ii. i. 954 Mounting Spirits of the deep-drunk Bowl.
deep-dyed adj.
ΚΠ
1818 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto IV xxviii. 17 Gently flows The deep-dyed Brenta.
deep-engraven adj.
ΚΠ
1614 T. Adams Diuells Banket ii. 47 (Deepe-ingrauen and) indeleble characters.
deep-laden adj.
ΚΠ
1845 H. W. Longfellow Belfry of Bruges xii With deep-laden argosies.
deep-persuading adj.
ΚΠ
1594 R. Barnfield Compl. Chastitie vii, in Affect. Shepheard sig. Gijv Gold is a deepe-perswading Orator.
deep-searching adj.
deep-settled adj.
ΚΠ
1776 W. J. Mickle tr. L. de Camoens Lusiad 125 Deep-settled grief.
deep-sunken adj.
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets ii. sig. B Within thine owne deepe sunken eyes. View more context for this quotation
1845 H. W. Longfellow To a Child ii Far-down in the deep-sunken wells Of darksome mines.
deep-sworn adj.
ΚΠ
1862 E. Arnold in Fraser's Mag. July 113 Unto us, thy deep-sworn votaries.
deep-throbbing adj.
ΚΠ
1845 G. Murray Islaford 126 When this deep-throbbing heart shall be wed.
deep-worn adj.
ΚΠ
1827 J. Keble Christian Year I. x. 36 The deep-worn trace of penitential tears.
deep-wounded adj.
ΚΠ
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. ii. sig. B6v A virgin widow, whose deepe wounded mind With loue, long time did languish.
d. deep-rooted adj., deep-seated adj., etc. It is sometimes difficult to separate these from parasynthetic combinations of the adjective.
deep-vaulted adj. (see deep adj. Compounds 2.)
C2. deep was also formerly used with adjectives (see 2), and these were (or are by editors) sometimes hyphenated (to make the grammatical construction clear), as deep-naked, deep-sore, deep-sweet: cf. deep contemplative in 2. So still sometimes with adjectives of colour, as ‘ deep-blue sea’, ‘ deep-green grass’: see deep adj. 13b.
ΚΠ
1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Dij Eares deep sweet musik, & harts deep sore wounding.
a1618 J. Sylvester Tobacco Battered 377 Chaprones..with broad deep-naked Brests.
C3. With another adv.
deep-asleep adj.
ΚΠ
1832 Ld. Tennyson Lotos-eaters iv, in Poems (new ed.) 110 His voice was thin,..And deep-asleep he seemed.
deep-down adv. and adj.
ΚΠ
1861 L. L. Noble After Icebergs 108 If he [iceberg] move, he dashes a foot against the deep down stones.
1876 Ld. Tennyson Harold ii. ii. 55 And deeper still the deep-down oubliette, Down thirty feet below the smiling day.
1890 Daily News 3 Feb. 5/3 These deep-down curtseys are reported to be now coming into common use abroad.
1915 E. B. Holt Freudian Wish i. 5 The person does, in his dream, what he deep-down wishes to do.
1962 E. Bowen Afterthought 81 A slowly acquired deep-down knowledge.
C4. With verbs (rare).
deep-fish v. [ < deep fishing, fisheries] to fish in the deep sea n.
ΚΠ
1844 W. H. Maxwell Wanderings in Highlands & Islands I. xvi. 285 A fleet of thirty boats had gone out to deep-fish.
Draft additions December 2003
Sport. In or to a point relatively distant from the originating point of play, in reference to the (expected) direction of play and to the (expected) usual point; spec.:
(a) Cricket and Baseball. In a place farther from the batsman or batter than is usual or expected (esp. used of a player in a particular position); spec. (Baseball) of an infielder: in a position in the outfield just beyond the infield; (of an outfielder) in a position relatively close to the fence; (of the ball) to a point relatively close to the fence.
ΚΠ
1849 F. W. Lillywhite in F. Lillywhite Young Cricketer's Guide 21 This fieldsman must stand deeper.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. viii. 388 The batter..cuts it beautifully to where cover-point is standing very deep, in fact almost off the ground.
1891 W. G. Grace Cricket x. 265 Mid-on..is placed close in or deep according to the wish of the bowler.
1900 G. Patten Rockspur Nine xx. 178 John Smith had been playing ‘deep’. Almost instantly he saw that the ball was soaring on its way to pass over the fence, yet he whirled and ran toward that fence as hard as he could.
1989 P. Dickson Baseball Dict. 125/2 Both infielders and outfielders may play deep, while the batter may hope to hit the ball deep or ‘go deep’.
1989 Newsday 14 Aug. 93/3 Teufer, who was playing deep at second base, charged the bouncing ball and had to decide in a instant whether to glove it.
2002 Penrith (Australia) Press (Nexis) 11 Oct. Another time I was fielding deep when the wicketkeeper ran to get the ball but he did not let me know he was there and we collided.
(b) Esp. Association Football and American Football. Of a player in a defensive position: in or towards a position closer to one's own goal line, goalkeeper, etc., than is usual or expected; (of a player in an attacking or offensive position, or of a ball) in or towards a position closer to one's opponent's goal line, goal, etc., than is usual or expected.
ΚΠ
1913 Times 10 Nov. 14 Another fault is that the three-quarter backs give passes that are too long and too slow... None of them are of sufficient weight to break through on their own account, and they presumably try to compensate for this by standing deep and so getting a longer run.
1966 S. R. Graves Guide to Mod. Football Defense 180 They sprint to a wide flat position ten yards deep.
1976 G. Carr Tackle Hockey xiv. 89 By lying fairly deep in mid-field he can concentrate on blotting out one individual while the two remaining links divide the mid-field between themselves.
1986 Chicago Tribune 5 Oct. (Final ed.) 8 Last year, despite the loss of speedy wide receiver Mark Duper for half the season and opposing secondaries playing deep enough to return punts, Marino still threw for 30 TDs.
2001 Times 28 Aug. (Sports Daily) s1/5 Ricardo Gardner worked a short corner kick with Bo Hansen and curled a cross deep to Paul Warhurst.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
<
n.c1000
adj.854
v.c930adv.a1000- backbonds
- backbone
- ballad rhyme
- ballad singer
- ballad singing
- ballad stanza
- ballad stuff
- ballad tune
- ballad writer
- ballad-maker
- ballad-making
- ballad-monger
- ballad-mongering
- ballad-wise
- ballade
- ballade royal
- ballade royals
- balladeer
- balladeering
- balladeers
- ballader
- ballades
- balladic
- balladical
- balladier