Meaning

noun a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall

noun a headlong plunge into water

noun a steep nose-down descent by an aircraft

originFrom Middle English diven, duven, from the merger of Old English dȳfan (“to dip, immerse”, transitive weak verb) (from Proto-Germanic *dūbijaną) and dūfan (“to duck, dive, sink, penetrate”, intransitive strong verb) (past participle ġedofen). Cognate with Icelandic dýfa (“to dip, dive”), Low German bedaven (“covered, covered with water”). See also deep, dip.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0