Depth Vs Width, What Does Each One Mean? How To Use

When we talk about measurement in English, you may find terms you don’t know how to use. In this article, we will speak of depth and width and the meaning of each one.

Depth measures the distance between the end and the beginning part of an object; you can use it to determine how profound a pool is. Width measures an object from one side to another; you can use width to determine how broad a door is.

Depth and width seem to be related to mathematics. But don’t get confused here; that’s not the only use for these words. Let’s see more details about them to understand where they come from and the meanings they have.

Understanding The Terms “Depth” And “Width”

To understand more about these two terms, we will look into their origin and meaning throughout history.

Etymology Of “Depth” And “Width”

The term “depth” comes from the proto-germanic word “deupaz,” which means sea, valley, and deep. It made it to the English language somewhere in the 14th century; at the time, it was spelled as “dīepþ.” By the 15th century, the spelling changed to “depthe.”

The term “width” is a combination of the word “wide” and the suffix “th.” To know its origins, we need to see the etymology of the word “wide.” comes from the proto-germanic word “wīdaz,” which means separated in two. It made it to the English language as “wīd” somewhere in the 14th century. Later on, in the 15th century, the spelling changed to “wid.” The suffix “th” converts “wide” from an adjective to a noun.

Meaning Of Depth

The term “depth” has kept its meaning ever since its origin. Some of the meanings the word has had throughout the time include:

1. The most remote part of something.
2. The length of something from top to bottom.
3. The size of an object that remains inwards.
4. The profundity of something that lies below the ground.

Meaning Of Width

The term “width” has varied its meaning; the Proto-Germanic languages intended it to mean separated into two parts. In Old English, it was a synonym for “far,” people used it to refer to long distances. Nowadays, some of the meanings include:

1. The measure of something going side to side.
2. The size of how broad an object is.
3. The distance to pass from one side to another.

How People Use The Terms “Depth” And “Width”

Now that we understand the origin of these words and their meaning, it is time to explain how people use these terms. Depending on the context, words can have different meanings or applications.

General Use

You will use the word depth when you talk about objects that are under the ground. Some things that have depth include pools, sea, lakes, wells, pits, etc. Also, drawers, forests, and seasons have depth.

You can find width as an attribute when doing online shopping. It will usually specify the length from side to side, considering you are viewing the front of the object.

In Mathematics

There are several mathematical applications where people use the terms width and depth.

• In Geometrics, width and depth are two out of the parameters for a tridimensional object.
• In the oil industry, depth is a unit of measure that refers to the location of the well.
• In Finance, depth is a graphic that shows how many units a company needs to sell to change the market price to a given amount.
• In Programming, width specifies the length in pixels of a visual object.

In Figurative Speech

As in any other language, in English, you can find symbolic speech. For instance, the word “depth” has a metaphorical meaning. It refers to having intense or severe qualities.

You can say a paint, a book, or even a color has depth. When you use the term to describe something like this, you are not referring to the object’s actual size.

Other Uses

• Depth is the name of a video game available on Steam. You can choose your character to be a shark or a diver. The game’s goal is to collect as many treasures as possible or to attack as many divers as possible, depending on the role you choose.
• Depths is the name of a Swedish novel released by Henning Mankell in 2004. The book tells the story of a man who is obsessed with measures of distance.
• Depths is also the name of the 138th episode of the American TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The episode aired in November 2007 as the 5th episode of season 7.
• The ISO 19111 defines depth as the extent of a point from a chosen reference surface measured downward along a line perpendicular to the same surface.

The Sounds In The Terms “Depth” And “Width”

The pronunciation of these words is straightforward. Both terms have only one vowel sound.

The IPA symbols we have in “depth” are:

• /d/: it is the typical “d” sound we make when we say “day” or “dare.”
• /ɛ/: it is an unrounded vowel, the same sound as in the word “bed.”
• /p/: it is a consonant that makes a stop sound.
• /θ/: it represents the suffix “-th,” this consonant is unvoiced. It is called an unvoiced dental fricative.

For the word “width,” we have:

• /w/: here, it works as a consonant, similar to the first sound in “what.”
• /ɪ/: the short “i” sound, you can find it in the word “bit.”
• /d/: it is a consonant sound that works as a stop sound.
• /θ/: It is the unvoiced dental fricative.

How To Pronounce The Terms “Depth” And “Width”

To pronounce the word “depth,” you will start with the tip of your tongue touching your upper teeth while you push air from your throat, release the seal. Slightly open your mouth, relax your tongue and vibrate your vocal cords to make the vowel sound. Close your lips together to make the /p/ sound. To make the final sound, put your tongue as if you were to bite it and push air to make the /θ/ sound.

To pronounce the word “width,” start with your lips rounded and almost closed, vibrate your vocal cords. Spread your lips into a relaxed position to make the “i” sound. Your tongue comes into action and will move to cover your palate and stop vibrating your vocal cords. Put your tongue as if you were to bite it and push air to make the /θ/ sound.

Other Terms Related To Depth And Width

Here we have other words that are related to the terms “Depth” and “Width.”

Synonyms To Depth

Some of the words you can use to substitute “Depth” in a sentence include:

• Profundity
• Deepness
• Remoteness

In the figurative speech, you can use the following synonyms:

• Lowness
• Wisdom
• Sensibility

Synonyms To Width

Some of the words that have a similar meaning to “Width” are:

• Breadth
• Span
• Spread
• Gauge
• Vastness
• Immensity

Example Sentences Using Depth And Width

Here we have some sample questions using the terms “depth” and “width.”

1. Even in the depth of poverty, people never lose their faith that something better might happen.
2. People judge the depth of any research by its objectives.
3. In-depth interviews try to get as many details as possible about a problem.
4. I tried to buy a purse online but can’t seem to find the width of it.
5. Our front door is 36 inches in width; that’s a standard door in a US home.

Final Thoughts

The terms “depth” and “width” are both related to measurements. The main difference between them is that depth measures from top to bottom, while width measures from side to side.

There are several uses of these terms. The general usage is a measurement, but you can also find it in mathematics, science, and figurative speech.