> Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: A Common West Germanic verb originally strong: Old English delfan ; dealf , dulfon ; dolven ; corresponding to Old Frisian delva , Old Saxon (bi-)delƀan , Middle Dutch and Dutch delven , Low German dölben , Old High German (bi-)telban , Middle High German telben < Old Germanic ablaut series delƀ-, dalƀ-, dulƀ-: not known in Norse, nor in Gothic; but having cognates in Slavonic. The original strong inflections were retained more or less throughout the Middle English period, though with various levellings of the singular and plural forms, d…