delvev.

Brit.

/dɛlv/, U.S.

/dɛlv/

Forms: 1. Present stem Old English delfan, early Middle English dælfen, early Middle English dellfenn ( Ormulum), Middle English deluyn, Middle English delvyn, Middle English–1500s delf (Scottish), Middle English–1500s delfe (Scottish), Middle English–1600s delue, Middle English– deluen, Middle English– delve. 2. Past tense. a. Strong.

α. (Originally 1st and 3rd singular indicative) Old English dealf, Middle English dalf, Middle English dalfe, Middle English dalue, Middle English delf, Middle English delue, 1500s dolue, 1800s dolve (archaic). c1000 Ælfric Genesis xxi. 30 Ic dealf þisne pytt.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2718 Stille he dalf him [in] ðe sond.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21530 Lang he delf [Fairf. dalue, Gött. delue] but noght he fand.1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 48/3 He dalfe a pit behynde the cyte.1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes i. xvii. 50 He..dalue the erth.1598 R. Barckley Disc. Felicitie of Man ii. 65 Wo worth the wight that first dolue the mould.1865 S. Evans Brother Fabian's MSS 59 They dolve a grave beneath the arrow.

β. (Plural) Old English dulfon, Middle English dolfen, Middle English dolue(n, Middle English dolve(n, Middle English dulfen, Middle English duluen. a1000 Martyrol. 138 Þa dulfon hi in þære ylcan stowe.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 215 Ha duluen me þe fet.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10977 Alfene hine dulfen [c1300 Otho dolue].c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 427/239 Huy doluen and beoten faste.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3189 Ðor he doluen,..and hauen upbrogt Ðe bones.a1400 Prymer (St. John's Cambr.) (1891) 107 They dolfen myn handes and my feet.1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 57/1 Thegypciens wente and doluen pittes for water.

γ. (Plural) Middle English dalf, Middle English dalfe, Middle English dalff, Middle English dalue, Middle English delf. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21146 Þe cristen men þar delf [Fairf. dalue, Gött. delued, Trin. Cambr. buryed] him þan.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 7786 Þai dalf [Fairf. dalue] it in a wodis side.1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. xxxv. 153 They dalff the erthe.

b. Weak Middle English delfd, Middle English delued, Middle English deluid, Middle English deluyde, Middle English– delved. 1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Gen. xxi. 30 I deluyde this pit.1388 J. Wyclif Psalms lvi. 7 Thei delueden [1382 doluen] a diche bifore my face.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19256 Þai..þat right nu delfd þi ded husband.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 18562 Þai him hanged..And deluid him.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16877 Þai delued him..in a yerd be þe tun.1605 S. Rowlands Hell's broke Loose 15 For when old Adam delu'd, and Euah span, Where was my silken veluet Gentleman? 3. Past participle. a. Strong Old English–Middle English dolfen, Middle English delluin, Middle English dolfe, Middle English dollin, Middle English dollyn, Middle English doluyn, Middle English dolwyn, Middle English duluen, Middle English–1500s dolue, Middle English–1500s doluen, Middle English–1500s dolve, Middle English–1500s dolven, Middle English–1500s dolvyn, 1500s delfe. c1000 Ags. Ps. xciii. 12 Deop adolfen, deorc and ðystre.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 215 Hud þe inþe doluen eorðe.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1895 Starf ysaac..was doluen on ðat stede.c1325 Leg. Rood (1871) 113 Quen he riȝt depe had dellui [n] sare.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 5280 Ac he was ded & doluen.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 5494 Dede and doluen [Vesp. duluen, Fairf. dolue, Gött. doluie] þere were þay.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5428 I be noght duluen in þis land.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 3214 In ebron dalue hir sir abraham. þer formast was dollyn alde adam.a1400 Prymer (St. John's Cambr.) (1891) 77 He hat opened the lake and dolfe hym.c1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 689 In the doluen lond.c1430 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes (1554) iv. ii. 102 a She was ydolue lowe.c1440 York Myst. xxiv. 189 Both dede and doluen, þis is þe fourþe day.a1450 Le Morte Arth. 3604 Dolwyn dede.1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xi. 182 To seeke Death where it seemeth to be doluen most deepe.?a1600 Merline 733 in Percy Folio I. 445 Her one sister quick was delfe. b. Weak 1500s deluet (Scottish), 1500s–1600s delued, 1500s– delved. 1398[1582 delved] [see sense 1a]. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 7 In sum places of Ingland..is deluet vpe na small quantitie of Leid. 1756 [see sense 7a].

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: A Common West Germanic verb originally strong: Old English delfan ; dealf , dulfon ; dolven ; corresponding to Old Frisian delva , Old Saxon (bi-)delƀan , Middle Dutch and Dutch delven , Low German dölben , Old High German (bi-)telban , Middle High German telben < Old Germanic ablaut series delƀ-, dalƀ-, dulƀ-: not known in Norse, nor in Gothic; but having cognates in Slavonic. The original strong inflections were retained more or less throughout the Middle English period, though with various levellings of the singular and plural forms, dalf , dulven , in the past tense, and replacement of the plural form by that of the past participle dolven ; they are rare in the 16th cent.; the weak inflections are found already in the 14th cent., and are now alone in use. The verb has itself been largely displaced by dig v., but is still in common use dialectally.

Signification.

a. transitive. To dig; to turn up with the spade; esp. to dig (ground) in preparation for a crop. Now chiefly northern and Scottish, where it is the regular word for ‘digging’ a garden. In Shropshire, according to Miss Jackson, to delve is spec. to dig two spades deep.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (transitive)] > dig

delvec888

to dig up1377

diga1425

pastine?1440

updelvec1440

upstockc1440

hack1620

pastinate1623

repastinate1623

spit1648

spittle1727

spud1828

society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) > dig or break up (ground)

delvec888

dig1382

gruba1400

stubc1450

cast1497

sheugh1513

to search upc1540

stock1802

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xl. §6 Swelce hwa nu delfe eorþan & finde þær ðonne goldhord.

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xiv. i. (Tollem. MS.) Þe more londe is doluen [1582 delved] and erid and ouerturnid, þe virtu þat is þerin is þe more medlid with all þe parties þerof.

c1420 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 74 Thi lande unclene alle doluen uppe mot be.

c1440 W. Hylton Scala Perfeccionis (1494) i. xlii Vntyll this grounde be well ransaken & depe doluyn.

1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas sig. C.iiii To delue the ground, for mines of glistering gold.

a1595 Descr. Isles Scotl. in W. Skene Celtic Scotl. (1880) III. App. iii. 431 Thay use na pleuchis, but delvis thair corn land with spaiddis.

1604 G. Babington Comf. Notes: Exod. i. (Exod.) xvii. 297 We ouer and ouer..plough our land and delue our Gardens.

1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 247 He directs the moss to be delved or dug up with spades, and the manure to be chiefly lime.

1845 R. W. Hamilton Inst. Pop. Educ. iii. 37 Time was when our countrymen united every employment; they delved the soil, they wove the fleece.

figurative.a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. i. 28 What's his name, and Birth?.. I cannot delue him to the roote: His Father Was call'd Sicillius.

b. transferred of burrowing animals.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > by habits or actions > habits and actions > [verb (transitive)] > dig or burrow

delve1484

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. v Of a hylle whiche beganne to tremble and shake by cause of the molle whiche delued hit.

1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Eiij Sometime he runnes..where earth-deluing Conies keepe.

1861 J. C. H. Fane & Ld. Lytton Tannhäuser 49 The blind mole that delves the earth.

a. To make (a hole, pit, ditch, etc.) by digging; to excavate. archaic.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.)

delvec825

graveOE

sinkc1358

diga1387

holkc1400

cast1481

to dig up1551

moil1581

effodiate1612

diffode1657

to dig out1748

burrow1831

excavate1839

crow1853

c825 Vesp. Psalter vii. 16 Seað ontynde & dalf.

c1000 Ælfric Deut. vi. 11 Wæterpyttas þa þe ge ne dulfon.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8351 Þe king lette deluen ænne dich [c1300 Otho dealue one dich].

1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xxii. 365 To delue and dike a deop diche.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21063 First he did his graf to deluen.

a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) xi. ix. 68 Sum..Befor the portis delvis trynschis deip.

1549–62 T. Sternhold & J. Hopkins Whole Bk. Psalms vii. 13 He digs a ditch and delues it deepe.

1659 D. Pell Πελαγος 338 Sextons to delve the graves of the greatest part of his Army.

1796 R. Southey Joan of Arc vii. 477 Underneath the tree..They delved the narrow house.

1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel I. 65 Delving the ditch a livelihood to earn.

1872 A. Dobson Bookworm in Vignettes in Rhyme (1873) 209 To delve, in folios' rust and must The tomb he lived in, dry as dust.

b. transferred and figurative.

ΚΠ

1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets lx. sig. E^v Time..delues the paralels in beauties brow.

1855 R. C. Singleton tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. I. 81 The moles have delved Their chambers.

1871 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch (1872) I. i. xi. 169 Mrs Vincy's face, in which forty-five years had delved neither angles nor parallels.

†3. To put or hide in the ground by digging; esp. to bury (a corpse). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > cover [verb (transitive)] > cover over or up > under the ground or bury

delvec1175

indelve1382

mine?1440

dig1530

bury1535

inter1601

inhume1626

turf1628

earthen1708

inearth1801

the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > bury or entomb [verb (transitive)]

bedelveOE

begraveOE

burya1000

beburyc1000

bifel-ec1000

layc1000

to fall, lull, lay (bring obs.) asleepOE

tombc1275

gravec1300

inter1303

rekec1330

to lap in leadc1340

to lay to rest, abed, to bed1340

lie1387

to louk in clay (lead, etc.)?a1400

to lay lowa1425

earthc1450

sepulture1490

to put awaya1500

tyrea1500

mould1530

to graith in the grave1535

ingrave1535

intumulate1535

sepult1544

intumil?c1550

yird1562

shrinea1566

infera1575

entomb1576

sepelite1577

shroud1577

funeral1578

to load with earth1578

delve1587

to lay up1591

sepulchrize1595

pit-hole1607

infuneral1610

mool1610

inhumate1612

inurna1616

inhume1616

pit1621

tumulate1623

sepulchrea1626

turf1628

underlay1639

urna1657

to lay to sleep, asleep1701

envaulta1745

plant1785

ensepulchre1820

sheugh1839

to put under1879

to lay away1885

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6485 Þatt lic þatt smeredd iss þærwiþþ. Biforr þatt mann itt dellfeþþ.

1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Rolls) VII. 77 Ioseph dalf wiþ his fader moche tresour in þe erþe.

c1450 Mirour Saluacioun 4888 Bespitted, scourgid, and corovned, dede, dolven, and ascendid.

1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 35 My fader had founden kyng ermeryks tresour doluen in a pytte.

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xi. 182 Consider how often men goe to seeke Death where it seemeth to be doluen most deepe, and yet finde it not.

in extended use.1735 W. Somervile Chace ii. 38 In the dry crumbling Bank Their Forms they delve, and cautiously avoid The dripping Covert.

4. To obtain by digging; to dig up or out of (the ground); to exhume. archaic or dialect.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > dig out or up

delvec1000

upgravea1340

undelve1340

grubc1374

to dig upc1400

to dig outa1425

unearthc1450

sprittle1585

effode1657

to cast up1660

exhume1783

moot1823

excavate1848

lift1883

spud1886

pig-root1890

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 19 Þær ðeofas hit delfað & forstelaþ.

c1374 G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. ii. v. 51 He þat first dalf vp þe gobets or þe weyȝtys of gold, couered vndir erþe.

c1386 G. Chaucer Squire's Tale 630 Now can nought Canace bot herbes delve Out of the grounde.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 118 Delvyn' vp owte of the erthe, effodio.

1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 128^v Do delue it vp, and burne it here.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 207 Delfeng vpe his fatheris reliques.

1777 Barmby Inclos. Act 26 To cut, dig, delve, gather and carry away any turves or sods.

1855 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 21 July in Eng. Notebks. (1997) I. iii. 272 Minerals, delved doubtless out of the hearts of the mountains.

1866 J. M. Neale Sequences & Hymns 35 In the valleys where they delve it, how the gold is good indeed.

†5. To pierce or penetrate as by digging. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > penetrate

thirlc1175

delve?c1225

piercec1325

entera1500

penetrate1530

search1594

job1603

breaka1616

the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed > pierce or penetrate as a sharp thing

biteOE

delve?c1225

attamec1314

piercec1325

thrillc1330

ficche1388

traverse1477

through1578

splinter1821

stab1897

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > penetrate > as by digging

delvea1475

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 215 Ha duluen me þe fet & þe honden. ne seide he naut þurleden. for efter þis lettre..swa were þe neiles dulle. þet ha duluen his flesch.

c1340 Ayenb. 263 Yef þe uader of þe house wyste huyche time þe þyef were comynde, uor-zoþe he wolde waky and nolde naȝt þolye þet me dolue his hous.

1382 J. Wyclif Psalms xxi[i]. 17 Thei dolue [v.r. delueden] myn hondis and my feet.

a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 327 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 308 Ne delf þou neuer nose thyrle With thombe ne fyngur.

6. To dint or indent. dialect.

ΚΠ

1788 W. Marshall Provincialisms E. Yorks. in Rural Econ. Yorks. II. 325 Delve, to dint or bruise, as a pewter or a tin vessel.

1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby Delve..to indent, as by a blow upon pewter; which is then said to be delved.

1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness Delve, to indent or bruise a table, or metal surface, by a blow.

a. absol. or intransitive. To labour with a spade in husbandry, excavating, etc.: to dig. archaic or poetic, and dialect. (In most dialect glossaries from Lincolnshire and Shropshire northward.)

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (intransitive)] > dig or excavate

gravea1000

delvec1000

wrootc1325

minec1330

gruba1350

sinkc1358

undermine1382

diga1387

spit1393

to pick upc1400

holk1513

graff1532

pion1643

excavate1843

throw1843

crow1853

spade1869

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (intransitive)] > dig

delvec1000

digc1320

spit1393

fork1647

yelve1817

graft1823

spade1869

spud1889

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xvi. 3 Ne mæg ic delfan, me sceamað þæt ic wædlige.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 281 Ȝef þeaxe necurue. ne spitel stef ne dulue..hwa kepte ham to halden.

c1340 Hampole in Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. 79 When Adam dalfe and Eue spane..Whare was þan þe pride of man?

c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) iii. viii. 140 Folk howweden and doluen aboute þe cherche.

1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 1 §4 To digge and to delve..for erth, stones and turfes.

1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) III. 41 [He] saw ane ald man..Delfand full fast with ane spaid in his hand.

1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. iv. 185 + 7 I will delue one yard belowe their mines.

1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters iii. 113 Men have..delved into the bowels of the earth.

1858 H. W. Longfellow Courtship Miles Standish viii When he delved in the soil of his garden.

b. transferred of animals.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > by habits or actions > habits and actions > [verb (intransitive)] > dig or burrow

diga1425

thirl1577

delve1727

burrow1771

bury1841

mole1856

1727 J. Gay Fables I. xlviii. 165 With delving snout he turns the soil.

1855 H. W. Longfellow Hiawatha xiii. 181 Crows and blackbirds..jays and ravens..Delving deep with beak and talon, For the body of Mondamin.

c. to delve about: to excavate round. (With indirect passive.)

ΚΠ

?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) l. 83 in I. F. Baird Poems Stanley Family (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 232 Yt was so deepe dolven with ditches aboute.

8. figurative. To make laborious search for facts, information, etc., as one who digs deep for treasure.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > seek information [verb (intransitive)]

delve1650

research1660

dig1789

1650 Featley in S. Newman Concord. Pref. 1 Why delve they continually in humane arts and secular sciences, full of dregs and drosse?

a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Richard II ccxliv, in Poems (1878) III. 198 Gloucester..Delves for himselfe, pretending publick right.

1836 O. W. Holmes Poems, Poetry iv. iv Not in the cells where frigid learning delves In Aldine folios mouldering on their shelves.

1864 F. Palgrave Hist. Normandy & Eng. III. 32 The Norman Antiquary delves for the records of his country anterior to the reign of Philip Augustus.

9. To work hard, slave, drudge. dialect or slang.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > [verb (intransitive)] > work hard or toil

workeOE

swingc1000

to the boneOE

labourc1390

toilc1400

drevyll?1518

drudge1548

droy1576

droil1591

to tug at the (an) oar1612

to stand to it1632

rudge1676

slave1707

to work like a beaver1741

to hold (also keep, bring, put) one's nose to the grindstone1828

to feague it away1829

to work like a nigger1836

delve1838

slave1852

leather1863

to sweat one's guts out1890

hunker1903

to sweat (also work) one's guts out1932

to eat (also work) like a horse1937

beaver1946

to work like a drover's dog1952

to get one's nose down (to)1962

the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > exert oneself or make an effort [verb (intransitive)] > toil > at something unpleasant

drevyll?1518

drudge1548

droy1576

droil1591

delve1838

1838 C. Gilman Recoll. Southern Matron xxix. 204 The poor mother..delving at her needle.

1868 L. M. Alcott Little Women I. xi. 173 Delve like slaves.

1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby ‘They're delving at it’, going ahead with the work.

1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. Delve..to slave, to drudge.

1891 J. S. Farmer Slang II. 268/2 Delve it (tailors'), to hurry with one's work, head down and sewing fast.

†10. To dip with violence, plunge down into water. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > plunge > plunge in or under water or mud

launch13..

sousec1400

douse1603

plounce1654

delve1697

immerge1706

immerse1739

inswamp1775

plout1814

blob1875

1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World xiii. 367 He was bound..on a Bambou..which was so near the Water, that by the Vessels motion, it frequently delved under water, and the man along with it.

11. Of the slope of a hill, road, etc.: To make a sudden dip or deep descent.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [verb (intransitive)] > slope downwards

fall1573

to fall away1607

sink1630

lower1734

delve1848

to ease off1880

society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > go or lead (of a road or path) [verb (intransitive)] > go downwards > suddenly or steeply

delve1848

plunge1882

1848 E. Bulwer-Lytton King Arthur vi. lxxxi The bird beckoned down a delving lane.

1855 Chambers's Jrnl. 3 329 The combs delve down precipitously.

1862 E. Bulwer-Lytton Strange Story II. xv. 115 The path was rugged..sometimes skirting the very brink of perilous cliffs; sometimes delving down to the sea-shore.

Derivatives

delved adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [adjective] > dug or excavated

wroughtOE

underdolven1382

holkedc1420

cast1487

mineda1500

pioneda1616

uneartheda1625

delved1673

disentombed1871

dugout1886

the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [adjective] > broken > dug

pastinate?1440

pastinated?1440

spaded1808

delved1883

1673 J. Milton On Death Fair Infant v, in Poems (new ed.) 19 Hid from the world in a low delved tombe.

1883 Trans. Highland & Agric. Soc. 15 38 The delved and ploughed portion, about 2½ acres.

delving n. and adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > [noun]

earth-tilthOE

earth-tillingOE

tilling?c1225

delving1377

laboura1393

land-tillingc1420

culturec1450

tilthing1495

labouring1523

manurea1547

manuring1550

digging1552

cultivation1553

tilth1565

manurance1572

agriculture1583

nithering1599

culturation1606

gainor1607

delvage1610

agricolation1623

gainage1625

cultivage1632

manurementa1639

groundwork1655

fieldwork1656

proscission1656

field labour1661

manuragea1670

subduing1776

management1799

subjugation1800

geopony1808

clodhopping1847

agriculturism1885

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > [adjective] > cultivating

tillingc1380

manuring1635

delvinga1658

cultivating1695

the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > [noun]

inquisitionc1384

inquiryc1440

searcha1500

quest1531

research1604

researching1611

digging1827

fact-finding1854

delving1888

scanning1937

oppo1990

1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. vi. 250 In dykynge or in deluynge.

1576 A. Fleming tr. Erasmus in Panoplie Epist. 356 Let us..fall to delving.

a1658 J. Cleveland Char. Country-comm.-man (1677) 98 One that hates the King because he is a Gentleman, transgressing the Magna Charta of Delving Adam.

1888 Athenæum 25 Aug. 249/1 Weary delvings among a heterogeneous mass of documents.

delving marl n. = peat-marl n. at peat n.¹ Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1682 A. Martindale in J. Houghton Coll. Lett. Husb. & Trade I. 121 Peat-Marle, or Delving-Marle, which is..very fat or unctuous.

1762 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry I. 38 The marle which is usually found at the depth of about two feet..in wet boggy grounds..is commonly called peat~marle, or delving-marle.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	delve
释义	delven. Brit. /dɛlv/, U.S. /dɛlv/ Etymology: Partly a variant of delf n. (compare staff , stave ), partly noun of action < delve v. 1. A cavity in or under the ground; excavation, pit, den; = delf n. 1. (The plural delves is found with either singular.) ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hole or pit > [noun] dalea800 piteOE dike847 hollowc897 hole946 seathc950 delfOE hollc1050 ditchc1275 lakec1320 holetc1380 slacka1500 dell1531 vault1535 pit-hole1583 delve1590 lough1672 sinusa1676 gap1696 self-lough1700 scoop1780 cup1819 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. vii. Argt. sig. S1. Guyon findes Mammon in a delue, Sunning his threasure hore. 1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. i. sig. A5^v It is a darksome delue farre vnder ground. View more context for this quotation 1729 R. Savage Wanderer iii. 303 The delve obscene, where no suspicion pries. 1748 J. Thomson Castle of Indolence ii. 682 There left thro' delves and deserts dire to yell. 1817 T. Moore Lalla Rookh 272 The very tigers from their delves Look out. a1822 P. B. Shelley Homer's Hymn to Mercury xix, in Posthumous Poems (1824) 301 And fine dry logs and roots innumerous He gathered in a delve upon the ground. 2. A hollow or depression in a surface; a wrinkle. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [noun] > action of making indentation > an indentation on a surface hollowc897 printa1387 impression1398 puncha1430 dent1565 dint1590 dinge1611 doke1615 impressurea1616 depressure1626 depression1665 dawk1678 swage1680 indent1690 sinking1712 dunkle1788 indenture1793 delve1811 subsidation1838 indention1839 recess1839 indentation1847 incavation1852 deepening1859 sink1875 malleation1881 ding1922 1811 in Pall Mall Gaz. 4 Oct. 1892, 3/1 If it be the same bottle I found under his bed, there is a ‘delve’ in it into which I can put my thumb. 1869 Daily News 8 July The pursed up mouths, the artificial lines and delves, the half-closed eyes of those [marksman] to be seen sighting, and ‘cocking’, and aiming for the Queen's to-day. 3. An act of delving; the plunging (of a spade) into the ground. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [noun] > digging or excavating delfeOE gravinga1340 pioning1590 spitting1594 spading1647 effossion1657 earthwork1796 exfodiation1823 disentombment1859 earth moving1866 delve1869 dig1887 the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > [noun] > digging delfeOE pastining?1440 breaking1514 digging1552 repastination1569 potting1592 pastination1623 spade-work1778 delve1869 dig1887 1869 Daily News 1 Mar. He quickly learns that every delve of his spade in the earth means money. †4. (See quot.) Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Delve, as a Delve of Coals, i.e. a certain quantity of Coals digged in the Mine or Pit. 1721 in N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. ; hence in Johnson, etc. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online March 2022). delvev. Brit. /dɛlv/, U.S. /dɛlv/ Forms: 1. Present stem Old English delfan, early Middle English dælfen, early Middle English dellfenn ( Ormulum), Middle English deluyn, Middle English delvyn, Middle English–1500s delf (Scottish), Middle English–1500s delfe (Scottish), Middle English–1600s delue, Middle English– deluen, Middle English– delve. 2. Past tense. a. Strong. α. (Originally 1st and 3rd singular indicative) Old English dealf, Middle English dalf, Middle English dalfe, Middle English dalue, Middle English delf, Middle English delue, 1500s dolue, 1800s dolve (archaic). c1000 Ælfric Genesis xxi. 30 Ic dealf þisne pytt.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2718 Stille he dalf him [in] ðe sond.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21530 Lang he delf [Fairf. dalue, Gött. delue] but noght he fand.1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 48/3 He dalfe a pit behynde the cyte.1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes i. xvii. 50 He..dalue the erth.1598 R. Barckley Disc. Felicitie of Man ii. 65 Wo worth the wight that first dolue the mould.1865 S. Evans Brother Fabian's MSS 59 They dolve a grave beneath the arrow. β. (Plural) Old English dulfon, Middle English dolfen, Middle English dolue(n, Middle English dolve(n, Middle English dulfen, Middle English duluen. a1000 Martyrol. 138 Þa dulfon hi in þære ylcan stowe.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 215 Ha duluen me þe fet.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10977 Alfene hine dulfen [c1300 Otho dolue].c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 427/239 Huy doluen and beoten faste.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3189 Ðor he doluen,..and hauen upbrogt Ðe bones.a1400 Prymer (St. John's Cambr.) (1891) 107 They dolfen myn handes and my feet.1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 57/1 Thegypciens wente and doluen pittes for water. γ. (Plural) Middle English dalf, Middle English dalfe, Middle English dalff, Middle English dalue, Middle English delf. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21146 Þe cristen men þar delf [Fairf. dalue, Gött. delued, Trin. Cambr. buryed] him þan.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 7786 Þai dalf [Fairf. dalue] it in a wodis side.1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. xxxv. 153 They dalff the erthe. b. Weak Middle English delfd, Middle English delued, Middle English deluid, Middle English deluyde, Middle English– delved. 1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Gen. xxi. 30 I deluyde this pit.1388 J. Wyclif Psalms lvi. 7 Thei delueden [1382 doluen] a diche bifore my face.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19256 Þai..þat right nu delfd þi ded husband.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 18562 Þai him hanged..And deluid him.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16877 Þai delued him..in a yerd be þe tun.1605 S. Rowlands Hell's broke Loose 15 For when old Adam delu'd, and Euah span, Where was my silken veluet Gentleman? 3. Past participle. a. Strong Old English–Middle English dolfen, Middle English delluin, Middle English dolfe, Middle English dollin, Middle English dollyn, Middle English doluyn, Middle English dolwyn, Middle English duluen, Middle English–1500s dolue, Middle English–1500s doluen, Middle English–1500s dolve, Middle English–1500s dolven, Middle English–1500s dolvyn, 1500s delfe. c1000 Ags. Ps. xciii. 12 Deop adolfen, deorc and ðystre.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 215 Hud þe inþe doluen eorðe.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1895 Starf ysaac..was doluen on ðat stede.c1325 Leg. Rood (1871) 113 Quen he riȝt depe had dellui [n] sare.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 5280 Ac he was ded & doluen.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 5494 Dede and doluen [Vesp. duluen, Fairf. dolue, Gött. doluie] þere were þay.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5428 I be noght duluen in þis land.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 3214 In ebron dalue hir sir abraham. þer formast was dollyn alde adam.a1400 Prymer (St. John's Cambr.) (1891) 77 He hat opened the lake and dolfe hym.c1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 689 In the doluen lond.c1430 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes (1554) iv. ii. 102 a She was ydolue lowe.c1440 York Myst. xxiv. 189 Both dede and doluen, þis is þe fourþe day.a1450 Le Morte Arth. 3604 Dolwyn dede.1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xi. 182 To seeke Death where it seemeth to be doluen most deepe.?a1600 Merline 733 in Percy Folio I. 445 Her one sister quick was delfe. b. Weak 1500s deluet (Scottish), 1500s–1600s delued, 1500s– delved. 1398[1582 delved] [see sense 1a]. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 7 In sum places of Ingland..is deluet vpe na small quantitie of Leid. 1756 [see sense 7a]. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: A Common West Germanic verb originally strong: Old English delfan ; dealf , dulfon ; dolven ; corresponding to Old Frisian delva , Old Saxon (bi-)delƀan , Middle Dutch and Dutch delven , Low German dölben , Old High German (bi-)telban , Middle High German telben < Old Germanic ablaut series delƀ-, dalƀ-, dulƀ-: not known in Norse, nor in Gothic; but having cognates in Slavonic. The original strong inflections were retained more or less throughout the Middle English period, though with various levellings of the singular and plural forms, dalf , dulven , in the past tense, and replacement of the plural form by that of the past participle dolven ; they are rare in the 16th cent.; the weak inflections are found already in the 14th cent., and are now alone in use. The verb has itself been largely displaced by dig v., but is still in common use dialectally. Signification. 1. a. transitive. To dig; to turn up with the spade; esp. to dig (ground) in preparation for a crop. Now chiefly northern and Scottish, where it is the regular word for ‘digging’ a garden. In Shropshire, according to Miss Jackson, to delve is spec. to dig two spades deep. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (transitive)] > dig delvec888 to dig up1377 diga1425 pastine?1440 updelvec1440 upstockc1440 hack1620 pastinate1623 repastinate1623 spit1648 spittle1727 spud1828 society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) > dig or break up (ground) delvec888 dig1382 gruba1400 stubc1450 cast1497 sheugh1513 to search upc1540 stock1802 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xl. §6 Swelce hwa nu delfe eorþan & finde þær ðonne goldhord. 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xiv. i. (Tollem. MS.) Þe more londe is doluen [1582 delved] and erid and ouerturnid, þe virtu þat is þerin is þe more medlid with all þe parties þerof. c1420 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 74 Thi lande unclene alle doluen uppe mot be. c1440 W. Hylton Scala Perfeccionis (1494) i. xlii Vntyll this grounde be well ransaken & depe doluyn. 1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas sig. C.iiii To delue the ground, for mines of glistering gold. a1595 Descr. Isles Scotl. in W. Skene Celtic Scotl. (1880) III. App. iii. 431 Thay use na pleuchis, but delvis thair corn land with spaiddis. 1604 G. Babington Comf. Notes: Exod. i. (Exod.) xvii. 297 We ouer and ouer..plough our land and delue our Gardens. 1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 247 He directs the moss to be delved or dug up with spades, and the manure to be chiefly lime. 1845 R. W. Hamilton Inst. Pop. Educ. iii. 37 Time was when our countrymen united every employment; they delved the soil, they wove the fleece. figurative.a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. i. 28 What's his name, and Birth?.. I cannot delue him to the roote: His Father Was call'd Sicillius. b. transferred of burrowing animals. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > by habits or actions > habits and actions > [verb (transitive)] > dig or burrow delve1484 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. v Of a hylle whiche beganne to tremble and shake by cause of the molle whiche delued hit. 1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Eiij Sometime he runnes..where earth-deluing Conies keepe. 1861 J. C. H. Fane & Ld. Lytton Tannhäuser 49 The blind mole that delves the earth. 2. a. To make (a hole, pit, ditch, etc.) by digging; to excavate. archaic. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) delvec825 graveOE sinkc1358 diga1387 holkc1400 cast1481 to dig up1551 moil1581 effodiate1612 diffode1657 to dig out1748 burrow1831 excavate1839 crow1853 c825 Vesp. Psalter vii. 16 Seað ontynde & dalf. c1000 Ælfric Deut. vi. 11 Wæterpyttas þa þe ge ne dulfon. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8351 Þe king lette deluen ænne dich [c1300 Otho dealue one dich]. 1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xxii. 365 To delue and dike a deop diche. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21063 First he did his graf to deluen. a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) xi. ix. 68 Sum..Befor the portis delvis trynschis deip. 1549–62 T. Sternhold & J. Hopkins Whole Bk. Psalms vii. 13 He digs a ditch and delues it deepe. 1659 D. Pell Πελαγος 338 Sextons to delve the graves of the greatest part of his Army. 1796 R. Southey Joan of Arc vii. 477 Underneath the tree..They delved the narrow house. 1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel I. 65 Delving the ditch a livelihood to earn. 1872 A. Dobson Bookworm in Vignettes in Rhyme (1873) 209 To delve, in folios' rust and must The tomb he lived in, dry as dust. b. transferred and figurative. ΚΠ 1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets lx. sig. E^v Time..delues the paralels in beauties brow. View more context for this quotation 1855 R. C. Singleton tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. I. 81 The moles have delved Their chambers. 1871 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch (1872) I. i. xi. 169 Mrs Vincy's face, in which forty-five years had delved neither angles nor parallels. †3. To put or hide in the ground by digging; esp. to bury (a corpse). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > cover [verb (transitive)] > cover over or up > under the ground or bury delvec1175 indelve1382 mine?1440 dig1530 bury1535 inter1601 inhume1626 turf1628 earthen1708 inearth1801 the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > bury or entomb [verb (transitive)] bedelveOE begraveOE burya1000 beburyc1000 bifel-ec1000 layc1000 to fall, lull, lay (bring obs.) asleepOE tombc1275 gravec1300 inter1303 rekec1330 to lap in leadc1340 to lay to rest, abed, to bed1340 lie1387 to louk in clay (lead, etc.)?a1400 to lay lowa1425 earthc1450 sepulture1490 to put awaya1500 tyrea1500 mould1530 to graith in the grave1535 ingrave1535 intumulate1535 sepult1544 intumil?c1550 yird1562 shrinea1566 infera1575 entomb1576 sepelite1577 shroud1577 funeral1578 to load with earth1578 delve1587 to lay up1591 sepulchrize1595 pit-hole1607 infuneral1610 mool1610 inhumate1612 inurna1616 inhume1616 pit1621 tumulate1623 sepulchrea1626 turf1628 underlay1639 urna1657 to lay to sleep, asleep1701 envaulta1745 plant1785 ensepulchre1820 sheugh1839 to put under1879 to lay away1885 c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6485 Þatt lic þatt smeredd iss þærwiþþ. Biforr þatt mann itt dellfeþþ. 1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Rolls) VII. 77 Ioseph dalf wiþ his fader moche tresour in þe erþe. c1450 Mirour Saluacioun 4888 Bespitted, scourgid, and corovned, dede, dolven, and ascendid. 1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 35 My fader had founden kyng ermeryks tresour doluen in a pytte. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xi. 182 Consider how often men goe to seeke Death where it seemeth to be doluen most deepe, and yet finde it not. in extended use.1735 W. Somervile Chace ii. 38 In the dry crumbling Bank Their Forms they delve, and cautiously avoid The dripping Covert. 4. To obtain by digging; to dig up or out of (the ground); to exhume. archaic or dialect. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > dig out or up delvec1000 upgravea1340 undelve1340 grubc1374 to dig upc1400 to dig outa1425 unearthc1450 sprittle1585 effode1657 to cast up1660 exhume1783 moot1823 excavate1848 lift1883 spud1886 pig-root1890 c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 19 Þær ðeofas hit delfað & forstelaþ. c1374 G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. ii. v. 51 He þat first dalf vp þe gobets or þe weyȝtys of gold, couered vndir erþe. c1386 G. Chaucer Squire's Tale 630 Now can nought Canace bot herbes delve Out of the grounde. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 118 Delvyn' vp owte of the erthe, effodio. 1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 128^v Do delue it vp, and burne it here. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 207 Delfeng vpe his fatheris reliques. 1777 Barmby Inclos. Act 26 To cut, dig, delve, gather and carry away any turves or sods. 1855 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 21 July in Eng. Notebks. (1997) I. iii. 272 Minerals, delved doubtless out of the hearts of the mountains. 1866 J. M. Neale Sequences & Hymns 35 In the valleys where they delve it, how the gold is good indeed. †5. To pierce or penetrate as by digging. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > penetrate thirlc1175 delve?c1225 piercec1325 entera1500 penetrate1530 search1594 job1603 breaka1616 the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed > pierce or penetrate as a sharp thing biteOE delve?c1225 attamec1314 piercec1325 thrillc1330 ficche1388 traverse1477 through1578 splinter1821 stab1897 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > penetrate > as by digging delvea1475 ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 215 Ha duluen me þe fet & þe honden. ne seide he naut þurleden. for efter þis lettre..swa were þe neiles dulle. þet ha duluen his flesch. c1340 Ayenb. 263 Yef þe uader of þe house wyste huyche time þe þyef were comynde, uor-zoþe he wolde waky and nolde naȝt þolye þet me dolue his hous. 1382 J. Wyclif Psalms xxi[i]. 17 Thei dolue [v.r. delueden] myn hondis and my feet. a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 327 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 308 Ne delf þou neuer nose thyrle With thombe ne fyngur. 6. To dint or indent. dialect. ΚΠ 1788 W. Marshall Provincialisms E. Yorks. in Rural Econ. Yorks. II. 325 Delve, to dint or bruise, as a pewter or a tin vessel. 1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby Delve..to indent, as by a blow upon pewter; which is then said to be delved. 1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness Delve, to indent or bruise a table, or metal surface, by a blow. 7. a. absol. or intransitive. To labour with a spade in husbandry, excavating, etc.: to dig. archaic or poetic, and dialect. (In most dialect glossaries from Lincolnshire and Shropshire northward.) ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (intransitive)] > dig or excavate gravea1000 delvec1000 wrootc1325 minec1330 gruba1350 sinkc1358 undermine1382 diga1387 spit1393 to pick upc1400 holk1513 graff1532 pion1643 excavate1843 throw1843 crow1853 spade1869 the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (intransitive)] > dig delvec1000 digc1320 spit1393 fork1647 yelve1817 graft1823 spade1869 spud1889 c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xvi. 3 Ne mæg ic delfan, me sceamað þæt ic wædlige. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 281 Ȝef þeaxe necurue. ne spitel stef ne dulue..hwa kepte ham to halden. c1340 Hampole in Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. 79 When Adam dalfe and Eue spane..Whare was þan þe pride of man? c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) iii. viii. 140 Folk howweden and doluen aboute þe cherche. 1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 1 §4 To digge and to delve..for erth, stones and turfes. 1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) III. 41 [He] saw ane ald man..Delfand full fast with ane spaid in his hand. 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. iv. 185 + 7 I will delue one yard belowe their mines. 1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters iii. 113 Men have..delved into the bowels of the earth. 1858 H. W. Longfellow Courtship Miles Standish viii When he delved in the soil of his garden. b. transferred of animals. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > by habits or actions > habits and actions > [verb (intransitive)] > dig or burrow diga1425 thirl1577 delve1727 burrow1771 bury1841 mole1856 1727 J. Gay Fables I. xlviii. 165 With delving snout he turns the soil. 1855 H. W. Longfellow Hiawatha xiii. 181 Crows and blackbirds..jays and ravens..Delving deep with beak and talon, For the body of Mondamin. c. to delve about: to excavate round. (With indirect passive.) ΚΠ ?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) l. 83 in I. F. Baird Poems Stanley Family (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 232 Yt was so deepe dolven with ditches aboute. 8. figurative. To make laborious search for facts, information, etc., as one who digs deep for treasure. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > seek information [verb (intransitive)] delve1650 research1660 dig1789 1650 Featley in S. Newman Concord. Pref. 1 Why delve they continually in humane arts and secular sciences, full of dregs and drosse? a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Richard II ccxliv, in Poems (1878) III. 198 Gloucester..Delves for himselfe, pretending publick right. 1836 O. W. Holmes Poems, Poetry iv. iv Not in the cells where frigid learning delves In Aldine folios mouldering on their shelves. 1864 F. Palgrave Hist. Normandy & Eng. III. 32 The Norman Antiquary delves for the records of his country anterior to the reign of Philip Augustus. 9. To work hard, slave, drudge. dialect or slang. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > [verb (intransitive)] > work hard or toil workeOE swingc1000 to the boneOE labourc1390 toilc1400 drevyll?1518 drudge1548 droy1576 droil1591 to tug at the (an) oar1612 to stand to it1632 rudge1676 slave1707 to work like a beaver1741 to hold (also keep, bring, put) one's nose to the grindstone1828 to feague it away1829 to work like a nigger1836 delve1838 slave1852 leather1863 to sweat one's guts out1890 hunker1903 to sweat (also work) one's guts out1932 to eat (also work) like a horse1937 beaver1946 to work like a drover's dog1952 to get one's nose down (to)1962 the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > exert oneself or make an effort [verb (intransitive)] > toil > at something unpleasant drevyll?1518 drudge1548 droy1576 droil1591 delve1838 1838 C. Gilman Recoll. Southern Matron xxix. 204 The poor mother..delving at her needle. 1868 L. M. Alcott Little Women I. xi. 173 Delve like slaves. 1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby ‘They're delving at it’, going ahead with the work. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. Delve..to slave, to drudge. 1891 J. S. Farmer Slang II. 268/2 Delve it (tailors'), to hurry with one's work, head down and sewing fast. †10. To dip with violence, plunge down into water. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > plunge > plunge in or under water or mud launch13.. sousec1400 douse1603 plounce1654 delve1697 immerge1706 immerse1739 inswamp1775 plout1814 blob1875 1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World xiii. 367 He was bound..on a Bambou..which was so near the Water, that by the Vessels motion, it frequently delved under water, and the man along with it. 11. Of the slope of a hill, road, etc.: To make a sudden dip or deep descent. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [verb (intransitive)] > slope downwards fall1573 to fall away1607 sink1630 lower1734 delve1848 to ease off1880 society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > go or lead (of a road or path) [verb (intransitive)] > go downwards > suddenly or steeply delve1848 plunge1882 1848 E. Bulwer-Lytton King Arthur vi. lxxxi The bird beckoned down a delving lane. 1855 Chambers's Jrnl. 3 329 The combs delve down precipitously. 1862 E. Bulwer-Lytton Strange Story II. xv. 115 The path was rugged..sometimes skirting the very brink of perilous cliffs; sometimes delving down to the sea-shore. Derivatives delved adj. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [adjective] > dug or excavated wroughtOE underdolven1382 holkedc1420 cast1487 mineda1500 pioneda1616 uneartheda1625 delved1673 disentombed1871 dugout1886 the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [adjective] > broken > dug pastinate?1440 pastinated?1440 spaded1808 delved1883 1673 J. Milton On Death Fair Infant v, in Poems (new ed.) 19 Hid from the world in a low delved tombe. 1883 Trans. Highland & Agric. Soc. 15 38 The delved and ploughed portion, about 2½ acres. delving n. and adj. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > [noun] earth-tilthOE earth-tillingOE tilling?c1225 delving1377 laboura1393 land-tillingc1420 culturec1450 tilthing1495 labouring1523 manurea1547 manuring1550 digging1552 cultivation1553 tilth1565 manurance1572 agriculture1583 nithering1599 culturation1606 gainor1607 delvage1610 agricolation1623 gainage1625 cultivage1632 manurementa1639 groundwork1655 fieldwork1656 proscission1656 field labour1661 manuragea1670 subduing1776 management1799 subjugation1800 geopony1808 clodhopping1847 agriculturism1885 the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > [adjective] > cultivating tillingc1380 manuring1635 delvinga1658 cultivating1695 the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > [noun] inquisitionc1384 inquiryc1440 searcha1500 quest1531 research1604 researching1611 digging1827 fact-finding1854 delving1888 scanning1937 oppo1990 1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. vi. 250 In dykynge or in deluynge. 1576 A. Fleming tr. Erasmus in Panoplie Epist. 356 Let us..fall to delving. a1658 J. Cleveland Char. Country-comm.-man (1677) 98 One that hates the King because he is a Gentleman, transgressing the Magna Charta of Delving Adam. 1888 Athenæum 25 Aug. 249/1 Weary delvings among a heterogeneous mass of documents. delving marl n. = peat-marl n. at peat n.¹ Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1682 A. Martindale in J. Houghton Coll. Lett. Husb. & Trade I. 121 Peat-Marle, or Delving-Marle, which is..very fat or unctuous. 1762 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry I. 38 The marle which is usually found at the depth of about two feet..in wet boggy grounds..is commonly called peat~marle, or delving-marle. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.1590v.c825
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delven.

delvev.

Derivatives