*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dip

From Middle English dippen, from Old English dyppan, from Proto-West Germanic *duppjan, from Proto-Germanic *dupjaną; see *daupijaną (“to dip”). Related to deep.

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

A lower section of a road or geological feature. · Inclination downward; direction below a horizontal line; slope; pitch. · The action of dipping or plunging for a moment into a liquid. · A tank or trough where cattle or sheep are immersed in chemicals to kill parasites.

verb

To lower into a liquid. · To immerse oneself; to become plunged in a liquid; to sink. · (of a value or rate) To decrease slightly. · To lower a light's beam.

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

From Middle English dippen, from Old English dyppan, from Proto-West Germanic *duppjan, from Proto-Germanic *dupjaną; see *daupijaną (“to dip”). Related to deep.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 31 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "*dʰewbʰ-"
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    },
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      },
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    },
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dyppan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dyppan"
    },
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      "dippen",
      "dippen#Middle_English"
    ],
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    ],
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      "*duppjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/duppjan"
    ],
    [
      "*dupjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dupjaną"
    ],
    [
      "*daupijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/daupijaną"
    ],
    [
      "deep",
      "deep#English"
    ]
  ],
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      "glosses": [
        "A lower section of a road or geological feature.",
        "Inclination downward; direction below a horizontal line; slope; pitch.",
        "The action of dipping or plunging for a moment into a liquid.",
        "A tank or trough where cattle or sheep are immersed in chemicals to kill parasites."
      ],
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        "To lower into a liquid.",
        "To immerse oneself; to become plunged in a liquid; to sink.",
        "(of a value or rate) To decrease slightly.",
        "To lower a light's beam."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A foolish person.

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

Back-formation from dippy.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "back-form",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dippy"
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  "references": [],
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A diplomat. · A diaper; diap, dipe.

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

Shortenings.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
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      ],
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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 dip →

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-ZGlw