dig

Meaning

Verb

1. (intransitive, transitive) To move hard-packed earth out of the way, especially downward to make a hole with a shovel. Or to drill, or the like, through rocks, roads, or the like. More generally, to make any similar hole by moving material out of the way.
2. (transitive) To get by digging; to take from the ground; often with up.
3. To take ore from its bed, in distinction from making excavations in search of ore.
4. (US, dated, slang) To work like a digger; to study ploddingly and laboriously.
5. (figuratively) To investigate, to research, often followed by out or up.
6. To thrust; to poke.
7. To defend against an attack hit by the opposing team by successfully passing the ball

Noun

1. An archeological or paleontological investigation, or the site where such an investigation is taking place.
2. A thrust; a poke.
3. (archaic, slang) A hard blow, especially (boxing) a straight left-hander delivered under the opponent's guard.
4. A defensive pass of the ball that has been attacked by the opposing team.
5. An innings.
6. A cutting, sarcastic remark.
7. The occupation of digging for gold.
8. (US, colloquial, dated) A plodding and laborious student.
9. (UK, dated, dialectal) A tool for digging.
10. (slang) A rare or interesting vinyl record bought second-hand.

Noun

Digoxin.

Noun

A duck.

Synonyms

excavate

dig up

delve

burrow

dig out

excavation

poke

grub

scratch

jab

cultivate

spade

scoop

grasp

apprehend

understand

comprehend

hoe

compass

🧭

savvy

unearth

hollow out

grok

gibe

scoop out

mine

till

hollow

plow

carve

plunge

cut

get the picture

trench

plough

turn over

scrabble

drudge

stab

dredge

shove

thrust

bore

rout

digging

scrape

barb

prod

perforate

cut into

Translations

creuser

graben

scavare

cavar

cavar

graven

cavar

escavar

excavar

delven

σκάβω

fodere

حفر

wühlen

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪɡ/

Etymology

Cognate with Old English: dīcere

Cognate with Middle English: diggen

Cognate with Danish: dige

Cognate with Swedish: dika

Cognate with Middle French: diguer

Cognate with Old French: dikier

Cognate with Middle Dutch: dijc

In summary

From Middle English diggen (“to dig”, 13th c.), an alteration of dīken, from Old English dīcian (“to dig a ditch, mound up earth”), from Proto-West Germanic *dīkōn, which see for cognates. This verb is denominal from Proto-Germanic *dīkaz (“pool, puddle; dyke, ditch”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stab, dig”).
The form with g may have been influenced by Old French *diguer, a variant of dikier, itself from the West Germanic verb above. French forms with g are attested only in the 15th c., thus 200 years later than in English. On the other hand, French has according forms also for the underlying noun (cf. digue) and the phonetic development is more plausible in French than in English.

Sentences

Nine men were hired to dig the ruins .