Digging

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈdɪɡɪŋ(ɡ)/

Definitions

1. The act of breaking up and moving soil or earth ; the process of searching thoroughly or investigating in detail
2. Engaging in excavation or removing material from the ground ; conducting a detailed or intense search for information or objects
3. The activity of making holes or trenches in the ground ; exploring or probing deeply to uncover hidden facts or items

Etymology: The verb "dig" is older than the noun in the sense that matters here. In the 13th century, English speakers formed "to dig" from "dīken," a word for a ditch or embankment, so the original sense was to make a ditch. Earth-moving came later as the verb spread beyond that one task. The spelling with a "g" is less settled. French forms with "g" appear only in the 15th century, about 200 years after the English verb, so the French word for dike, "digue," may have influenced the English spelling, though the sound change looks more plausible in French. A separate sense developed in African American Vernacular English, where "dig" came to mean understanding or appreciating something. Enslaved people's speech was rarely written down, so its origin is hard to trace. One suggestion links it to the West African Wolof verb "dëgga," meaning "to understand."

Synonyms: excavation, burrowing, scooping, shoveling, mining