Where does “delven” come from?

delven (Middle English) comes from Old English delfan, from Proto-West Germanic delban, from Proto-Germanic delbaną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰelbʰ- — to dig, excavate.

delven (Middle English): To dig or delve; to remove earth; To penetrate...

Definitions

  1. To dig or delve; to remove earth; To penetrate...

Ancestry of “delven”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishdelfanto dig; to dig up, excavate
2Proto-West Germanicdelbanto dig
3Proto-Germanicdelbanąto dig, hollow out
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰelbʰ-to dig, excavate

Words derived from “delven”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰelbʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic delbaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic delban →