English word origin

Etymology of dill

From Middle English dile, from Old English dile (“dill, anise”); from Proto-Germanic *deliz, of uncertain, probably non-Indo-European origin, possibly a west European substrate. Cognate with Old Saxon dilli, Dutch dille,

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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

Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed. · A cucumber pickled with dill flavoring.

verb

To cook or flavor with dill.

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.

Inherited-form mentiondileenm
Inherited-form mentiondileang · dill, anise
Derivation mention*delizgem-pro
Cognate mentiondilliosx
Cognate mentiondillenl
Cognate mentiondillsv
Cognate mentionDillde

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dile"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dile"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dile",
        "t": "dill, anise"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dile (“dill, anise”)"
    },
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    },
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        "2": "qfa-sub",
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
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        "2": "dilli"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon dilli"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "dille"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch dille"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "dill"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish dill"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Dill"
      },
      "expansion": "German Dill"
    }
  ],
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      "dile",
      "dile#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "dile",
      "dile#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*deliz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/deliz"
    ],
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      "dilli#Old_Saxon"
    ],
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      "dille#Dutch"
    ],
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      "dill#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "Dill",
      "Dill#German"
    ]
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        "Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed.",
        "A cucumber pickled with dill flavoring."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To still; to assuage; to calm; to soothe, as one in pain.

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

Variant of dull

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A fool.

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

Perhaps a backformation from dilly (“silly”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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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 dill →

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-ZGlsbA