Etymology

dive

D2I1V4E1

Today it means: To swim under water. Full definition →

Middle English diven ← Old English dȳfan ← Proto-Germanic *dūbijaną
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dive · verb, noun1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*dūbijaną
  2. Old English · inherited fromdȳfan“to dip, immerse”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromdiven
  4. English todaydive

From Middle English diven, duven, from the merger of Old English dȳfan (“to dip, immerse”, transitive weak verb) (from Proto-Germanic *dūbijaną) and dūfan (“to duck, dive, sink, penetrate”, intransitive strong verb) (past participle ġedofen). Cognate with Icelandic dýfa (“to dip, dive”), Low German bedaven (“covered, covered with water”). See also deep, dip.

dive · noun2

  1. Italian · borrowed fromdive
  2. English todaydive

From Italian dive; see diva.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.