[dredge] vb dredged ; dredg.ing vt (1508) 1 a: to dig, gather, or pull out with or as if with a dredge--often used with up b: to deepen (as a waterway) with a dredging machine
2: to bring to light by deep searching--often used with up "dredging up memories" ~ vi 1: to use a dredge
2: to search deeply -- dredg.er n
[2]dredge n [perh. fr. (assumed) OE drecge; akin to OE draege dragnet, dragan to draw] (1602) 1: an apparatus usu. in the form of an oblong iron frame with an attached bag net used esp. for gathering fish and shellfish
2: a machine for removing earth usu. by buckets on an endless chain or a suction tube
3: a barge used in dredging [3]dredge vt dredged ; dredg.ing [obs. dredge, n., sweetmeat, fr. ME drage, drege, fr. MF dragie, modif. of L tragemata sweetmeats, fr. Gk tragemata, pl. of tragema sweetmeat, fr. trogein to gnaw] (1596): to coat (food) by sprinkling (as with flour) -- dredg.er n