deep
/diːp/ adjective, adverb, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms deeper deepest deeps deeping deeped deepe
- adjective Extending far down from the top, or surface, to the bottom, literally or figuratively. “The lake is extremely deep.”
- adjective Positioned far from the surface or other reference point, especially down through something or into something. “Diving down to deep wrecks can be dangerous.”
- adjective (of a place) Positioned far from the boundaries of or main approaches to (the specified place); interior.
- adjective Far in extent in another (non-downwards, but generally also non-upwards) direction, especially front-to-back. “The shelves are 30 centimetres deep. — They are deep shelves.”
- adjective (in combination) Extending to a level or length equivalent to the stated thing. “The water was waist-deep.”
- adjective In a (specified) number of rows or layers. “a crowd four deep along the funeral procession, with people two deep on the sidewalks”
- adjective Voluminous. “to take a deep breath / sigh / drink”
- adjective (cricket, baseball, softball) Far from the center of the playing area, near to the boundary of the playing area, either in absolute terms or relative to a point of reference. “He is fielding at deep mid wicket.”
- adverb Far, especially far down through something or into something, physically or figuratively. “The ogre lived in a cave deep underground.”
- adverb (also deeply) In a profound, not superficial, manner. “I thought long and deep.”
- adverb (also deeply) In large volume. “breathe deep, drink deep”
- adverb (sports) Back towards one's own goal, baseline, or similar. “He's normally a midfield player, but today he's playing deep.”
- noun (literary, with "the") The deep part of a lake, sea or ocean. “creatures of the deep”
- noun (with "the") The sea, the ocean.
- noun A deep hole or pit, a water well; an abyss.
- noun A deep or innermost part of something in general.
- noun (literary, with "the") A silent time; quiet isolation. “the deep of night”
- noun (rare) A deep shade of colour.
- noun (US, rare) The profound part of a problem.
- noun (cricket) A fielding position near the boundary. “Russell is a safe pair of hands in the deep.”
Synonyms
thick great large voluminous heavy meaningful profound low low-pitched bright rich vivid fast trench oceanic abyss bass cryptic cryptical inscrutable mysterious mystifying abstruse recondite deeply late
Antonyms
superficial shallow frivolous light thin small high high-pitched piping pale desaturated washed-out
Etymology
From Middle English dep, deep, depe, from Old English dēop (“deep, profound; awful, mysterious; heinous; serious, solemn, earnest; extreme, great”), from Proto-West Germanic *deup, from Proto-Germanic *deupaz (“deep”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“deep”).
Cognate with Scots depe (“deep”), North Frisian diip, jip (“deep”), Saterland Frisian djoop (“deep”), West Frisian djip (“deep”), Dutch diep (“deep”), Low German deep (“deep”), Luxembourgish déif (“deep”), Central Franconian deep, deef (“deep”), German tief (“deep”), Alemannic German tüüf (“deep”), Mòcheno tiaf (“deep”), Vilamovian tif, tīf, tiif (“deep”), Yiddish טיף (tif, “deep”), Danish dyb (“deep”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish djup (“deep”), Scanian djyber (“deep”), Norwegian Bokmål djup, dyp (“deep”), Faroese and Icelandic djúpur (“deep”), Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍀𐍃 (diups, “deep”), Lithuanian dubùs (“deep, hollow”), Albanian det (“sea”), Welsh dwfn (“deep”).
* From the adjective deep, either a topographic surname for someone who lived in a deep valley, or a nickname for a deep and thoughtful person.
* Borrowed from Punjabi ਦੀਪ (dīp), from Sanskrit दीप (dīpa).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Extending far below the surface; of great perpendicular dimension (measured from the surface downward, and distinguished from high, which is measured upward); far to the bottom; having a certain depth; as, a deep sea. The water where the brook is deep. Shak.
- adjective Extending far back from the front or outer part; of great horizontal dimension (measured backward from the front or nearer part, mouth, etc.); as, a deep cave or recess or wound; a gallery ten seats deep; a company of soldiers six files deep.
- adverb To a great depth; with depth; far down; profoundly; deeply.
- noun That which is deep, especially deep water, as the sea or ocean; an abyss; a great depth.
Etymology [OE. dep, deop, AS. deóp; akin to D. diep, G. tief, Icel. dj, Sw. diup, Dan. dyb, Goth. diups; fr. the root of E. dip, dive. See Dip, Dive.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “deep”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details