delve

1 of 2

verb

ˈdelv 

delved; delving

transitive verb

archaic : excavate

intransitive verb

1

: to dig or labor with or as if with a spade

delved into her handbag in search of a pen

2

a

: to make a careful or detailed search for information

delved into the past

b

: to examine a subject in detail

the book delves into the latest research

won't delve into her reason for leaving

delver noun

delve

2 of 2

noun

archaic

: cave, hollow

Did you know?

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.”

Synonyms

Verb

• dig (into)
• examine
• explore
• inquire (into)
• investigate
• look (into)
• probe
• research

Noun

• antre
• cave
• cavern
• grot
• grotto

Examples of delve in a Sentence

Verb

He tried to delve inside his memory for clues about what had happened.

Noun

a poem in which a medieval knight encounters a mysterious beauty in a darkened delve

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Dennis [Ambient Tweets] In-demand producer Sega Bodega delves into the hypnagogic with his third album, Dennis, casting his trademark dance-pop sound in an otherworldly haze. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 26 Apr. 2024

Company Town Hulu documentary delves deeper into the Randall Emmett scandal May 15, 2023 Since the late 1990s, Emmett has produced more than 120 films, many of them critical and box office flops. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024

Long After We Are Gone delves into the timely topic of large corporations trying to buy off historically Black land. —Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 25 Apr. 2024

Additionally, the series will likely delve even more into the mystery surrounding Reginald Hargreeves' (Colm Feore) backstory and his reason for creating the Umbrella Academy in the first place. —Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024

The controversies surrounding Nick Carter and his late brother, Aaron Carter, will be delved into for an upcoming Investigation Discovery docuseries, and the trailer for the project was released on Wednesday (April 24). —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024

The stories follow their adventures, while also delving into folktales. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024

In fact, one of our contributors delved into the minds of flight attendants to compile a list of what passengers do that annoy flight attendants, and ever since, I’ve been dedicated to finding solutions for these easily avoidable flying faux pas. —Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024

Oprah delved into her personal struggles with weight, placing her narrative against the broader backdrop of societal views on obesity. —Jonathan Isaacsohn, STAT, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English delfan; akin to Old High German telban to dig

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

delve

verb

ˈdelv

delved; delving

1

: to dig or labor with a spade

2

: to make a careful or thorough search for information

delver noun