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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
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
When asked specifically about 2025 that Legette can’t afford to duplicate, the third-year Carolina Panthers wideout didn’t delve into too many specifics.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026
The series, which premiered at the Berlinale Series Market in February, delves into the frontlines of the water crisis through the prism of how women are leading the fight to protect and defend water.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 11 June 2026
In 2020, the actress co-hosted a podcast, Made Women, with longtime friend Chris Kushner, which often delves into behind-the-scenes moments from The Sopranos.
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for delve
Cite this Entry
“Delve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delve. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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