Ditcher
/ˈdɪtʃər/noun
A person or machine that digs or clears ditches.
Did you know?The word comes from the same deep Germanic root as *ditch* and originally pointed to a person who dug defensive trenches or drainage channels, turning land into a controlled, divided space.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dīkō
“a ditch, trench, or embankment”
Old English
OE
dīc
“a ditch or embankment; later also a dike”
Middle English
ME
dicche
“a ditch or trench”
14th–15th Century
English
ditcher
“one who digs or makes ditches”
Modern English
English
ditcher
“a person or machine that digs or clears ditches”