Dyke
/daɪk/noun
A long wall or embankment built to prevent flooding or to mark a boundary; also, in some dialects and historical usage, a ditch.
Did you know?Dyke is linked to the same ancient root as ditch and dig, all tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European idea of digging and shaping earth into defenses.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheigʰ-
“to form, shape, or knead; to make by working earth or material”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dīkō
“ditch, trench, embankment”
Old English
OE
dīc
“ditch, dike, or embankment”
Middle English
Middle English
dike
“ditch or raised bank, especially for drainage or defense”
Modern English
English
dyke
“a bank or wall built to hold back water; a ditch in older usage”