ditch

ditch · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic*dīkaz
2. Proto-West Germanic*dīk
3. Old Englishdīċ
4. Middle Englishdich
5. English todayditch

From Middle English dich, from Old English dīċ (“trench, moat”) from Proto-Germanic *dīkaz (compare Swedish dike, Icelandic díki, West Frisian dyk (“dam”), Dutch dijk (“dam”), German Teich (“pond”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”) (compare Latin fīgō (“to affix, fasten”), Lithuanian diegti (“to prick; plant”), dýgsti (“to geminate, grow”)). Doublet of dike.

ditch · verb, noun²

1. Old English · inherited fromdēcan“to smear, plaster, daub”
2. Middle English · inherited fromdechen
3. English todayditch

From earlier deche, from Middle English dechen, from Old English dēcan (“to smear, plaster, daub”). More at deech.

Ditch · proper noun³

In reference to the Maratha Ditch.

Words from the same roots