To plunge head-first into water or to descend rapidly through air or water, often used metaphorically for immersing oneself deeply in an activity.
From Old English dyfan meaning 'to dip, immerse', related to Old Norse dýfa. The sense of plunging from height developed later, along with metaphorical uses like 'diving into work'.
Olympic divers experience up to 4 Gs of force when entering water from the 10-meter platform, equivalent to the forces felt by fighter pilots. The physics of a perfect dive involves complex calculations of rotation, trajectory, and surface tension.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.