dip English · revision 10315

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 975|origins=gem-pro *dupjaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /dɪp/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English dippen, [[inh|ang|dyppan|t=to plunge into water, baptize by immersion]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Proto-Germanic *dupjanan,^(Barnhart 1988) related to Old English dīepan, to immerse (Proto-Germanic *daupijanan),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and probably a causative of the root of [[deep]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) Cognates include Old Norse deypa, Dutch dopen, German [[m|de|taufen|t=to baptize]] and Gothic daupjan.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To baptize by immersion: about 975;^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988) to put down briefly into a liquid: about 1000.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ To dip in a colouring solution, to dye, is from 1667,^(OED 1989) to make candles by dipping from 1712,^(OED 1989) and to dip sheep from 1840.^(OED 1989) To go down or sink is from the 14th century,^(Hoad 1986) to incline downward from the 1660s,^(Etymonline) and to lower and raise a flag from 1776.^(Etymonline) The noun, an act of dipping, is from the 1590s,^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) a downward slope by 1708,^(Etymonline) and a liquid into which something is dipped by 1825,^(Etymonline) while a thick savoury sauce for raw vegetables (by 1962) is probably a new coinage.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 975 – to baptize.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1000 – to immerse.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1590s – an act of dipping (noun).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1667 – to dye.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1708 – a downward slope.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1776 – to dip a flag.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1962 – a savoury dip.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To plunge briefly into a liquid, as to wet or coat.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To immerse animals in a disinfecting solution.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To lower and raise a flag in salute, or to lower headlights.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To drop or decline, usually slightly or briefly: ''sales dipped''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To slope downward.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To put a hand or container into something to take something out.^(AHD)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A brief plunge or swim.^(AHD)

+ # A savoury mixture into which food is dipped.^(AHD)

+ # A downward slope or drop.^(AHD)

+ # A liquid into which something is dipped, as for dyeing or disinfecting.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[dippable]]

+ * [[double-dip]]

+ * [[sheep-dip]]

+ * [[dipstick]]

+ * [[dipper]]

+ * [[redip]]

+ * [[dipshit]]

+ * [[lucky dip]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[deep]]

+ * [[baptize]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Dip, a stupid or eccentric person, is 1920s slang, perhaps a back-formation from [[dippy]].^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}