English
depth
Depth comes from Middle English depthe, from Old English *dīepþ, from Proto-Germanic *diupiþō, from *deupaz ‘deep’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewbʰ-‘to sink in’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*deupaz‘deep’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*diupiþōreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*diupiþu‘depth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*dīepþreconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500depthe‘deepness’
- Englishtodaydepth
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewbʰ-‘to sink in’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*deupaz‘deep’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*diupiþōreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*diupiþu‘depth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*dīepþreconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500depthe‘deepness’
- Englishtodaydepth
Formed from deep + -th
Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-
Proto-Germanic *deupaz
Proto-West Germanic *deup
Old English dēop ‘deep’
Middle English dep ‘deep’
English deep
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‘to sink in’
bottom, fund, foundation, dumb, dave, founder, dip, fond, bot, dove, deaf, dub, bourne, butte, typhus, doof, 24 more
through Proto-Germanic *deupaz ‘deep’
Today it means
noun the vertical distance below a surface; the degree to which something is deep
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- / depth