delve

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• /dɛlv/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɛlv
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• CMU ARPABET: D EH1 L V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Topographic surname for someone who lived near a ditch or trench, from Old English dælf (“delf, ditch”).

From Middle English delve, delf, dælf, from Old English delf, ġedelf (“digging”) and dælf (“that which is dug out, delf, ditch”). More at delf.

From Middle English delven, from Old English delfan (“to dig, dig out, burrow, bury”), from Proto-Germanic *delbaną (“to dig”), from Proto-Indo-European *dhelbh- (“to dig”). Cognate with West Frisian dolle (“to dig, delve”), Dutch delven (“to dig, delve”), Low German dölven (“to dig, delve”), dialectal German delben, telben (“to dig, delve”).

68 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Asturian: cavar — to dig in the ground
• Bulgarian: копая (kopaja) — to dig in the ground
• Czech: rýt — to dig in the ground
• Czech: zrýt — to dig in the ground
• Czech: vyrýt — to dig in the ground
• Czech: kopat — to dig in the ground
• Czech: vykopat — to dig in the ground
• Danish: grave — to dig in the ground
• Dutch: delven — to dig in the ground
• Finnish: kaivaa — to dig in the ground
• French: creuser — to dig in the ground
• West-Frisian: dolle — to dig in the ground
• German: graben — to dig in the ground
• German: buddeln — to dig in the ground
• Greek: σκαλίζω (skalízo) — to dig in the ground
• Greek: σκάβω (skávo) — to dig in the ground
• Hungarian: ás — to dig in the ground
• Icelandic: grafa (með skóflu, with a shovel) — to dig in the ground
• Icelandic: moka — to dig in the ground
• Italian: scavare — to dig in the ground
• Japanese: ほる — to dig in the ground
• Low German: dölven — to dig in the ground
• Norwegian: grave — to dig in the ground
• Persian: کندن (kandan) — to dig in the ground
• Portuguese: cavar — to dig in the ground
• Romanian: săpa — to dig in the ground
• Russian: рыть (rytʹ) — to dig in the ground
• Russian: копа́ть (kopátʹ) — to dig in the ground
• Swedish: gräva — to dig in the ground
• Ottoman Turkish: قازمق (kazmak) — to dig in the ground
• Ukrainian: рити (ryty) — to dig in the ground
• Ukrainian: копати (kopaty) — to dig in the ground
• Welsh: cloddio — to dig in the ground
• Asturian: afondar — to search carefully for information
• Bulgarian: ровя се (rovja se) — to search carefully for information
• Czech: rýt se — to search carefully for information
• Czech: hrabat se — to search carefully for information
• Czech: zkoumat — to search carefully for information
• Czech: pátrat — to search carefully for information
• Czech: vypátrat — to search carefully for information
• Czech: vyhrabat — to search carefully for information
• Czech: vyzkoumat — to search carefully for information
• Danish: dykke ned i — to search carefully for information
• Finnish: penkoa — to search carefully for information
• Finnish: tutkia — to search carefully for information
• Finnish: paneutua — to search carefully for information
• French: fouiller — to search carefully for information
• German: untersuchen — to search carefully for information
• German: erforschen — to search carefully for information
• German: ergründen — to search carefully for information
• German: eintauchen — to search carefully for information
• German: wühlen — to search carefully for information
• German: sich befassen mit — to search carefully for information
• Greek: ερευνώ (erevnó) — to search carefully for information
• Icelandic: rannsaka — to search carefully for information
• Icelandic: kanna — to search carefully for information
• Italian: investigare — to search carefully for information
• Italian: indagare — to search carefully for information
• Persian: کاویدن (kâvidan) — to search carefully for information
• Portuguese: investigar — to search carefully for information
• Russian: ры́ться (rýtʹsja) — to search carefully for information
• Russian: копа́ться (kopátʹsja) — to search carefully for information
• Spanish: ahondar / profundizar — to search carefully for information
• Spanish: hurguetear — to search carefully for information
• Spanish: adentrarse — to search carefully for information
• Ukrainian: заглиблюватися (zahlybljuvatysja) — to search carefully for information
• Ukrainian: ритися (rytysja) — to search carefully for information
• Ukrainian: копатися (kopatysja) — to search carefully for information