Where does “ditchdigging” come from?
ditchdigging (English) comes from English ditch, from Middle English dich, from Old English dīċ, from Old English burna, from Proto-West Germanic brunnō, from Proto-Germanic brunnô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰréh₁wr̥, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrewh₁- — to bear, carry.
ditchdigging (English): The digging of ditches
Definitions
- The digging of ditches
Ancestry of “ditchdigging”, step by step
ditchdigging traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ditch
| 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 |
via English digging
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | digging | The action performed by a person or thing that... |
| 2 | English | dig | To move hard-packed earth out of the way,... |
| 3 | Middle English | diggen | to dig |
| 4 | Old English | dīcian | to dig a ditch, to mound up earth |
| 5 | Zazaki | dîkon | shop |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | dīkaz | pool, puddle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰēygʷ- | to stick into, pierce |