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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
Robert Lang, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2025
Juliette Binoche delved into the craft of acting and her emerging voice as a director during a packed masterclass at the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival, drawing on decades of collaborations with filmmakers including John Boorman and Krzysztof Kieślowski.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 10 Dec. 2025
Love & Fear, the group's eighth studio album, includes a wealth of sonics that delve deep into all facets of Brown and his group's influences, spanning rock, country, gospel and more.
—Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
The trailer significantly expands on a brief teaser Peacock released in October, which didn’t delve into the show’s premise.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 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 14 Dec. 2025.
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