English word origin

Etymology of dalk

From Middle English dalke, dalk, from Old English dalc (“clasp, buckle, brooch, bracelet”), from Proto-Germanic *dalkaz (“clasp, pin”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelg- (“to stick; needle, pin”). Cognate with Icelandic d

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A pin; brooch; clasp.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentiondalkeenm
Derivation mentiondalcang
Derivation mention*dalkazgem-pro
Derivation mention*dʰelg-ine-pro
Cognate mentiondálkuris
Cognate mentionfalxla
Doublet mentionfalxen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dalke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dalke"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dalc",
        "4": "",
        "5": "clasp, buckle, brooch, bracelet"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dalc (“clasp, buckle, brooch, bracelet”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*dalkaz",
        "4": "",
        "5": "clasp, pin"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *dalkaz (“clasp, pin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰelg-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to stick; needle, pin"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dʰelg- (“to stick; needle, pin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "dálkur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "cloak-pin"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic dálkur (“cloak-pin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "falx",
        "3": "",
        "4": "scythe"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin falx (“scythe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "falx"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of falx"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dalke",
      "dalke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dalk",
      "dalk#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dalc",
      "dalc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dalkaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dalkaz"
    ],
    [
      "*dʰelg-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰelg-"
    ],
    [
      "dálkur",
      "dálkur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "falx",
      "falx#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "falx",
      "falx#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pin; brooch; clasp."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f38d043cb7a750389e45e168d1607bff3c243adb4517ee1e4e74d0c28c8d456f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "14df2f8d916c4cd67aeeb7d91ca5fecaed2dc72d7c005c558bc88b11c6d08b32",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3515332
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A hollow or depression.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dalke; perhaps a diminutive of dale, dell. In that case from Old English *daluc, from Proto-Germanic *dalukaz.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiondalkeenm
Inherited-form mention*dalucang
Inherited-form mention*dalukazgem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dalke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dalke"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*daluc"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *daluc"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*dalukaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *dalukaz"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dalke",
      "dalke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dale",
      "dale#English"
    ],
    [
      "dell",
      "dell#English"
    ],
    [
      "*daluc",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/daluc"
    ],
    [
      "*dalukaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dalukaz"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A hollow or depression."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dalk →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-ZGFsaw