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Digging Up the History of Delve
We must dig deep into the English language’s past to find the origins of delve. The verb traces to the early Old English word delfan meaning “to dig.” For centuries, there was only delving—no digging—because dig didn’t exist until much later; it appears in early Middle English. Given dig and delve’s overlapping meanings today, is the phrase “dig and delve” (as in the line “eleven, twelve, dig and delve,” from the nursery rhyme that begins “one, two, buckle my shoe”) redundant? Not necessarily. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in some local uses, dig was the term for working with a mattock (a tool similar to an adze or a pick), while delve was reserved for work done using a spade. Although delve has a history of use for literal digging, nowadays the term is often applied to carefully researching or examining something, as in “delving into the past.”
Examples of delve in a Sentence
Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025
One of their most notable exhibitions, Children of the Sun, held at Sotheby’s in Beverly Hills in April, delved into the divine beauty of childhood and the enduring connection to our inner child.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 29 May 2025
This module delves into the art of storytelling, focusing on the development of compelling narratives, themes, and character arcs specifically tailored for animation.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 29 May 2025
Ahead of the jury and Welcher coming into the courtroom Thursday, Alessi argued that he should be allowed to delve deeper into the materials that informed Welcher’s conclusions that O’Keefe died from a vehicle strike.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for delve
Cite this Entry
“Delve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delve. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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