Where does “ditch” come from?

Ditch comes from Middle English dechen, from Proto-Germanic dīkaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰīgʷ-.

ditch (English): A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for...

Definitions

  1. A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for...

Ancestry of “ditch”, step by step

ditch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English dich

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdich—
2Old Englishdīċtrench, moat
3Old Englishburnastream
4Proto-West Germanicbrunnōwell, spring
5Proto-Germanicbrunnôsource; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰréh₁wr̥well, spring, source
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrewh₁-to boil; to brew
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

via English deche

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishdeche—
2Middle EnglishdechenTo daub or smear cloth or plumbing
3Old Englishdēċanto smear, plaster, daub
4Proto-West Germanic*dōkijanto apply with a rag or cloth, to smear

Words derived from “ditch”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- →