delveth

Verb

delve (third-person singular simple present delves, present participle delving, simple past delved or (archaic) dolve, past participle delved or (archaic) dolve or (archaic) dolven)

1. (intransitive, literary) To dig into the ground, especially with a shovel.
   • Delve of convenient depth your thrashing floor.1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC
2. (ambitransitive, literary) To dig; to excavate.
   • And then they made an oratory behind the altar, and would have dolven for to have laid the body in that oratory […][1483, Jacobus de Voragine, translated by William Caxton, The Golden Legend (in Middle English)
3. (ambitransitive, figuratively, literary) To search thoroughly and carefully for information, research, dig into, penetrate, fathom, trace out
   • I cannot delve him to the root.1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...

   Synonyms:

   investigate, research

See all 5 meanings of delve