ditch

ditch
\ \ [OE] Like its close relative dyke [13], ditch probably comes ultimately from a long-lost language once spoken on the shores of the Baltic. Its source-word seems to have represented an all-embracing notion of ‘excavation’, including not just the hole dug but also the mound formed from the excavated earth (which perhaps supports the suggestion that dig belongs to the same word-family). This dichotomy of sense is preserved in dyke, whose original meaning, from Old Norse dík, was ‘ditch’, but which came in the 15th century to denote ‘embankment’ (probably under the influence of Middle Dutch dijcdam’).
\ \ Cf.DIG, DYKE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Ditch — Ditch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ditched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Ditching}.] 1. To dig a ditch or ditches in; to drain by a ditch or ditches; as, to ditch moist land. [1913 Webster] 2. To surround with a ditch. Shak. [1913 Webster] 3. To throw into a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ditch — [dich] n. [ME dich < OE dic, a ditch, drain: see DIKE1] a long, narrow channel dug into the earth, as a trough for drainage or irrigation vt. 1. to border with a ditch 2. to make a ditch or ditches in 3. ☆ a) to cause (a car, wagon, et …   English World dictionary

  • ditch — O.E. dic ditch, dike, a variant of DIKE (Cf. dike) (q.v.). As a verb, late 14c., surround with a ditch; dig a ditch; meaning to throw into a ditch is from 1816, hence sense of abandon, discard, first recorded 1899 in Amer.Eng. Of aircraft, by… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Ditch — Ditch, v. i. To dig a ditch or ditches. Swift. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ditch — (?; 224), n.; pl. {Ditches}. [OE. dich, orig. the same word as dik. See {Dike}.] 1. A trench made in the earth by digging, particularly a trench for draining wet land, for guarding or fencing inclosures, or for preventing an approach to a town or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ditch — [n] gulley canal, channel, chase, cut, dike, drain, excavation, furrow, gutter, mine, moat, trench, watercourse; concepts 509,513 ditch [v] get rid of abandon, desert, discard, dispose of, drop, dump*, eighty six*, forsake, jettison, junk*, leave …   New thesaurus

  • ditch — ► NOUN ▪ a narrow channel dug to hold or carry water. ► VERB 1) provide with a ditch. 2) (with reference to an aircraft) bring or come down in a forced landing on the sea. 3) informal get rid of; give up. DERIVATIVES ditcher noun …   English terms dictionary

  • ditch|er — «DIHCH uhr», noun. 1. a person who makes and repairs ditches. 2. a machine used to make ditches; ditching machine. 3. Bowls a bowl which runs or is driven off the green …   Useful english dictionary

  • Ditch — For other uses, see Ditch (disambiguation). A well maintained ditch in the Netherlands …   Wikipedia

  • ditch — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun ADJECTIVE ▪ deep, wide ▪ shallow, small ▪ open ▪ The drainage system consisted of a few open ditches to facilitate run off …   Collocations dictionary

  • ditch — [[t]dɪ̱tʃ[/t]] ditches, ditching, ditched 1) N COUNT A ditch is a long narrow channel cut into the ground at the side of a road or field. 2) VERB If you ditch something that you have or are responsible for, you abandon it or get rid of it,… …   English dictionary

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