DELVE, verb transitive Delv. [Latin A mole, perhaps the delver.] 1. To dig; to open the ground with a spade. DELVE of convenient depth your thrashing floor. 2. To fathom; to sound; to penetrate. I cannot delve him to the root. DELVE, noun Delv. A place dug: a pit; a pitfall; a ditch; a den; a cave. DELVE of coals, a quantity of fossil coals dug.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI