*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dib

Variation of dip and/or dab.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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 dibber (gardening tool). · One of the small bones in the knee joints of sheep uniting the bones above and below the joints.

verb

To dig a hole by poking; especially, to dig a small hole in soil for the purpose of planting a bulb or seed. · To move in a rapid, cautious manner; especially, with movement like a mouse or rat.

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

Variation of dip and/or dab.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "dip",
      "dip#English"
    ],
    [
      "dab",
      "dab#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A dibber (gardening tool).",
        "One of the small bones in the knee joints of sheep uniting the bones above and below the joints."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7aba8950581ebd8eb641564f14fbf79ea017b826cb0619b5d3c7fe637adc64bd",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 308359
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To dig a hole by poking; especially, to dig a small hole in soil for the purpose of planting a bulb or seed.",
        "To move in a rapid, cautious manner; especially, with movement like a mouse or rat."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "940547e331cff572e33cacb6f616debfa90f79130f9a55b15bf55768b0f6bdf6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "df4d82a22614c88e96b84749efccf059f0309eced8feb159e3b203baee9bba23",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 308358
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 dib →

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-ZGli