use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

depth (dĕpth)
Share:
n.
1. The condition or quality of being deep.
2.
a. The extent, measurement, or dimension downward, backward, or inward: dove to a depth of 30 feet; shelves with enough depth to store the large boxes.
b. The measurement or sense of distance from an observation point, such as linear perspective in painting.
3. often depths A deep part or place: the ocean depths; in the depths of the forest.
4.
a. The most profound or intense part or stage: the depth of despair; an experience that touched the depths of tragedy.
b. Intensity; force: had not realized the depth of their feelings for one another.
5. The severest or worst part: in the depth of an economic depression.
6. A low point, level, or degree: Production has fallen to new depths.
7. Intellectual complexity or penetration; profundity: a novel of great depth.
8. The range of one's understanding or competence: I am out of my depth when it comes to cooking.
9. Strength held in reserve, especially a supply of skilled or capable replacements: a team with depth at every position.
10. The degree of richness or intensity: depth of color.
11. Lowness in pitch.
12. Complete detail; thoroughness: the depth of her research; an interview conducted in great depth.

[Middle English depthe, from dep, deep; see DEEP.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.