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Dig vs Ding - What's the difference?

dig | ding |

In transitive terms the difference between dig and ding

is that dig is to get by digging; to take from the ground; often with up while ding is to keep repeating; impress by reiteration, with reference to the monotonous striking of a bell.

As verbs the difference between dig and ding

is that dig is to move hard-packed earth out of the way, especially downward to make a hole with a shovel. Or to drill, or the like, through rocks, roads, or the like. More generally, to make any similar hole by moving material out of the way while ding is to sound, as a bell; to ring; to clang.

As nouns the difference between dig and ding

is that dig is an archeological investigation while ding is very minor damage, a small dent or chip.

dig

English

(wikipedia dig)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) , from (etyl) (m), itself a borrowing of the same Germanic root (from (etyl) (m)). More at ditch, dike.

Verb

  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=Miss Thorn began digging up the turf with her lofter: it was a painful moment for me. ¶ “You might at least have tried me, Mrs. Cooke,” I said.}}
  • (label) To get by digging; to take from the ground; often with up .
  • (label) To take ore from its bed, in distinction from making excavations in search of ore.
  • To work like a digger; to study ploddingly and laboriously.
  • (label) To investigate, to research, often followed by out'' or ''up .
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=September-October, author=(Henry Petroski)
  • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= The Evolution of Eyeglasses , passage=Digging deeper, the invention of eyeglasses is an elaboration of the more fundamental development of optics technology. The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone, essentially what today we might term a frameless magnifying glass or plain glass paperweight.}}
  • To thrust; to poke.
  • * Robynson (More's Utopia)
  • You should have seen children dig and push their mothers under the sides, saying thus to them: Look, mother, how great a lubber doth yet wear pearls.
    Derived terms
    * dig in * dig into * dig over * dig out * dig up

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An archeological investigation.
  • (US, colloquial, dated) A plodding and laborious student.
  • A thrust; a poke.
  • He guffawed and gave me a dig in the ribs after telling his latest joke.
  • Synonyms
    * (archaeological investigation) excavation

    Etymology 2

    From (African American Vernacular English); due to lack of writing of slave speech, etymology is .Random House Unabridged, 2001 Others do not propose a distinct etymology, instead considering this a semantic shift of the existing English term (compare dig in/dig into'').eg: OED, "dig", from ME vt ''diggen

    Verb

  • (slang) To understand or show interest in.
  • You dig ?
  • (slang) To appreciate, or like.
  • Baby, I dig you.

    References

    ding

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) dingen, .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) Very minor damage, a small dent or chip.
  • (colloquial) A rejection.
  • I just got my first ding letter.

    Verb

  • To sound, as a bell; to ring; to clang.
  • The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
  • To hit or strike.
  • To dash; to throw violently.
  • * Milton
  • to ding the book a coit's distance from him
  • To inflict minor damage upon, especially by hitting or striking.
  • If you surf regularly, then you're going to ding your board. — BBC surfing Wales [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/surfing/sites/features/pages/dings.shtml]
  • (colloquial) To fire or reject.
  • His top school dinged him last week.
  • (colloquial) To deduct, as points, from another, in the manner of a penalty.
  • My bank dinged me three bucks for using their competitor's ATM.
  • (golf) To mishit (a golf ball).
  • Derived terms
    * ding up

    Etymology 2

    Onomatopoeic.English onomatopoeias Compare ,

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A high-pitched sound of a bell, especially with wearisome continuance.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make high-pitched sound like a bell.
  • * Washington Irving
  • The fretful tinkling of the convent bell evermore dinging among the mountain echoes.
  • To keep repeating; impress by reiteration, with reference to the monotonous striking of a bell.
  • * 1884 , Oswald Crawfurd, English comic dramatists :
  • If I'm to have any good, let it come of itself; not keep dinging' it, ' dinging it into one so.
  • (intransitive, colloquial, gaming) To level up
  • See also
    * ding dong

    Etymology 3

    Romanized from (etyl)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Ancient Chinese vessel with legs and a lid; also called ting.
  • ----