Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “delfan” come from?

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

delfan (Old English): to dig; to dig up, excavate

Definitions

  1. to dig; to dig up, excavate

Ancestry of “delfan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicdelbanto dig
2Proto-Germanicdelbanąto dig, hollow out
3Proto-Indo-Europeandʰelbʰ-to dig, excavate

Words derived from “delfan”

  • delve
  • delf
  • delveth
  • delvest
  • dælf
  • umbedelven
  • delf
  • delven
  • delve
  • bedelven
  • bedelfan
  • delf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰelbʰ- →