Etymology From Middle English dich, from Old English dīċ (“trench, moat”) from Proto-Germanic *dīkaz (compare Swedish dike, Icelandic díki, West Frisian dyk (“dam”), Dutch dijk (“dam”), German Teich (“pond”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”) (compare Latin fīgō (“to affix, fasten”), Lithuanian diegti (“to prick; plant”), dýgsti (“to geminate, grow”)). Doublet of dike.
1
A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.
Digging ditches has long been considered one of the most demanding forms of manual labor.
The truck careered off the road into a ditch.
1 more example
Ditches continued to be employed as the sole defensive measure at many sites even after wall building began to emerge. For example, an immense ditch varying between 15 and 20 meters in width and marked by depths of 2.5 to 3.8 meters has recently been discovered in Hubei near Sui-chou.2011, Ralph D. Sawyer, Ancient Chinese Warfare, Basic Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 30:
2
Ireland A raised bank of earth and the hedgerow on top.
You flung a ditch on my vision Of beauty, love and truth. O stony grey soil of Monaghan You burgled my bank of youth!c. 1947, Patrick Kavanagh, “Stony Grey Soil”, Poetry Selections, in Ireland Study Abroad, University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2021, page 1:
The original ditches were created by digging trenches, as boundaries and/or irrigation. But to the English, the ditch is the trench. Whereas in Ireland, the ditch is the raised bank of earth and the hedgerow on top. (As for the trench, where I come from that’s a sheugh).2013 October 31, Frank McNally, “When Anglophone lines get crossed”, in The Irish Times, Dublin: Irish Times Trust, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2021:
Etymology From Middle English dich, from Old English dīċ (“trench, moat”) from Proto-Germanic *dīkaz (compare Swedish dike, Icelandic díki, West Frisian dyk (“dam”), Dutch dijk (“dam”), German Teich (“pond”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”) (compare Latin fīgō (“to affix, fasten”), Lithuanian diegti (“to prick; plant”), dýgsti (“to geminate, grow”)). Doublet of dike.
1
To discard or abandon.
I wanted to see Phil. I didn't. Mom didn't want to drive in this bad weather. I started to cry. Phil probably thinks I'm ditching him. I want to see him sooo bad.1965 January 22, Lou Sullivan, Diary:
Once the sun came out we ditched our rain-gear and started a campfire.
1 more example
Why did you ditch your last boyfriend? He was so nice to you.
When the second engine failed, the pilot was forced to ditch; their last location was just south of the Azores.
3
Ambitransitive To deliberately not attend classes; to play hookey.
The truant officer caught Louise ditching with her friends, and her parents were forced to pay a fine.
"No, instead, it just had enough power to transform me, overload, and force me to wait to change back! I had to ditch school!"2005 December 2, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Dec 2, 2005:
4
To dig ditches.
Enclosure led to fuller winter employment in hedging and ditching.
5
To dig ditches around.
The soldiers ditched the tent to prevent flooding.