Where does “dich” come from?
Ditch comes from Middle English dechen, from Proto-Germanic dīkaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰīgʷ-, a root meaning to dig or hollow out.
dich (English): Obsolete form of ditch
Ancestry of “dich”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ditch | A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for... |
| 2 | Middle English | dich | — |
| 3 | Old English | dīċ | trench, moat |
| 4 | Old English | burna | stream |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | brunnō | well, spring |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brunnô | source; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰréh₁wr̥ | well, spring, source |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |