English
deep
Deep comes from Middle English dep ‘deep’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewbʰ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*deupazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*deupreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150dēop‘deep’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dep‘deep’
- Englishearliest quotation 1591deep
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewbʰ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*deupazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*deupreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150dēop‘deep’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dep‘deep’
- Englishearliest quotation 1591deep
Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “Smooth runnes the Water, where the Brooke is deepe”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-
bottom, fund, foundation, dumb, dave, founder, dip, fond, bot, dove, dub, deaf, bourne, butte, typhus, doof, 24 more
through Proto-Germanic *deupaz
Today it means
adj Extending far down from the top, or surface, to the bottom, literally or figuratively.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- / deep