Where does “delf” come from?
delf (English) comes from Middle English delf, from Old English delf, from Old English delfan, from Proto-West Germanic delban, from Proto-Germanic delbaną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰelbʰ- — to dig, excavate.
delf (English): A mine, quarry, pit dug; ditch; A charge...
Definitions
- A mine, quarry, pit dug; ditch; A charge...
Ancestry of “delf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | delf | A quarry; A man-made channel or stream; a... |
| 2 | Old English | delf | digging, excavation; that which is dug: trench,... |
| 3 | Old English | delfan | to dig; to dig up, excavate |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | delban | to dig |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | delbaną | to dig, hollow out |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰelbʰ- | to dig, excavate |