dive

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English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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.

Verb[edit]

dive (third-person singular simple present dives, present participle diving, simple past and past participle dived or dove)

  1. To swim under water.
  2. To jump into water head-first.
    • Whately
      It is not that pearls fetch a high price because men have dived for them.
  3. To descend sharply or steeply.
  4. (especially with in) To undertake with enthusiasm.
    She dove right in and started making improvements.
  5. (sports) To deliberately fall down after a challenge, imitating being fouled, in the hope of getting one's opponent penalised.
  6. To cause to descend, dunk; to plunge something into water.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Hooker to this entry?)
  7. (transitive) To explore by diving; to plunge into.
    • Denham
      The Curtii bravely dived the gulf of fame.
    • Emerson
      He dives the hollow, climbs the steeps.
  8. (figuratively) To plunge or to go deeply into any subject, question, business, etc.; to penetrate; to explore.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of South to this entry?)
Usage notes[edit]

The past tense dove is found chiefly in North American English, where it is used alongside the regular (and earlier) dived, with regional variations; in British English dived is the standard past tense, dove existing only in some dialects. As a past participle, dove is relatively rare. (Compare Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary; The American Heritage Dictionary; The Cambridge Guide to English Usage)

Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Noun[edit]

dive (plural dives)

  1. A jump or plunge into water.
  2. A swim under water.
  3. A decline.
  4. (slang) A seedy bar, nightclub, etc.
  5. (aviation) Aerial descend with the nose pointed down.
  6. (sports) A deliberate fall after a challenge.
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Italian; see diva.

Noun[edit]

dive

  1. plural form of diva

Anagrams[edit]

Italian[edit]

Noun[edit]

dive f

  1. plural form of diva

Anagrams[edit]

Latin[edit]

Adjective[edit]

dīve

  1. vocative masculine singular of dīvus
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