Daff Daff transitive verb [ Confer Doff .] To cast aside; to put off; to doff. [ Obsolete]

Canst thou so daff me? Thou hast killed my child.

Shak.

Daff Daff noun [ See Daft .] A stupid, blockish fellow; a numskull. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Daff Daff (dȧf) intransitive verb To act foolishly; to be foolish or sportive; to toy. [ Scot.] Jamieson.

Daff Daff transitive verb To daunt. [ Prov. Eng.] Grose.

Daffodil Daf"fo·dil (dăf"fo*dĭl) noun [ Middle English affodylle , prop., the asphodel, from Late Latin affodillus (cf. Dutch affodille or Old French asphodile , aphodille , French asphodèle ), Latin asphodelus , from Greek 'asfo`delos . The initial d in English is not satisfactorily explained. See Asphodel .] (Botany) (a) A plant of the genus Asphodelus . (b) A plant of the genus Narcissus ( N. Pseudo-narcissus ). It has a bulbous root and beautiful flowers, usually of a yellow hue. Called also daffodilly , daffadilly , daffadowndilly , daffydowndilly , etc.

With damask roses and daffadillies set.

Spenser.

Strow me the ground with daffadowndillies ,
And cowslips, and kingcups, and loved lilies.

Spenser.

A college gown
That clad her like an April daffodilly .

Tennyson

And chance-sown daffodil .

Whittier.

Daft Daft (dȧft) adjective [ Middle English daft , deft , deft , stupid; probably the same word as English deft . See Deft .] 1. Stupid; foolish; idiotic; also, delirious; insane; as, he has gone daft .

Let us think no more of this daft business

Sir W. Scott.

2. Gay; playful; frolicsome. [ Scot.] Jamieson.

Daftness Daft"ness noun The quality of being daft.

Dag Dag (dăg) noun [ Confer French dague , Late Latin daga , Dutch dagge (fr. French); all probably from Celtic; Confer Gael. dag a pistol, Armor. dag dagger, W. dager , dagr , Ir. daigear . Confer Dagger .] 1. A dagger; a poniard. [ Obsolete] Johnson.

2. A large pistol formerly used. [ Obsolete]

The Spaniards discharged their dags , and hurt some.

Foxe.

A sort of pistol, called dag , was used about the same time as hand guns and harquebuts.

Grose.

3. (Zoology) The unbranched antler of a young deer.

Dag Dag noun [ Of Scand. origin; confer Swedish dagg , Icelandic dögg . √71. See Dew .] A misty shower; dew. [ Obsolete]

Dag Dag noun [ Middle English dagge (cf. Dagger ); or confer Anglo-Saxon dāg what is dangling.] A loose end; a dangling shred.

Daglocks, clotted locks hanging in dags or jags at a sheep's tail.

Wedgwood.

Dag Dag transitive verb [ 1, from Dag dew. 2, from Dag a loose end.] 1. To daggle or bemire. [ Prov. Eng.] Johnson.

2. To cut into jags or points; to slash; as, to dag a garment. [ Obsolete] Wright.

Dag Dag intransitive verb To be misty; to drizzle. [ Prov. Eng.]

Dag-tailed Dag"-tailed` adjective [ Dag a loose end + tail .] Daggle-tailed; having the tail clogged with daglocks. " Dag-tailed sheep." Bp. Hall.

Dagger Dag"ger (-gẽr) noun [ Confer Middle English daggen to pierce, French daguer . See Dag a dagger.] 1. A short weapon used for stabbing. This is the general term: confer Poniard , Stiletto , Bowie knife , Dirk , Misericorde , Anlace .

2. (Print.) A mark of reference in the form of a dagger . It is the second in order when more than one reference occurs on a page; -- called also obelisk .

Dagger moth (Zoology) , any moth of the genus Apatalea . The larvæ are often destructive to the foliage of fruit trees, etc. -- Dagger of lath , the wooden weapon given to the Vice in the old Moralities. Shak. -- Double dagger , a mark of reference [ ‡] which comes next in order after the dagger. -- To look, or speak , daggers , to look or speak fiercely or reproachfully.

Dagger Dag"ger transitive verb To pierce with a dagger; to stab. [ Obsolete]

Dagger Dag"ger noun [ Perh. from diagonal .] A timber placed diagonally in a ship's frame. Knight.

Dagges Dagges (dăgz) noun plural [ Middle English See Dag a loose end.] An ornamental cutting of the edges of garments, introduced about a.d. 1346, according to the Chronicles of St Albans. [ Obsolete] Halliwell.

Daggle Dag"gle (dăg"g'l) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Daggled (-g'ld); present participle & verbal noun Daggling (-glĭng).] [ Freq. of dag , transitive verb , 1.] To trail, so as to wet or befoul; to make wet and limp; to moisten.

The warrior's very plume, I say,
Was daggled by the dashing spray.

Sir W. Scott.

Daggle Dag"gle intransitive verb To run, go, or trail one's self through water, mud, or slush; to draggle.

Nor, like a puppy [ have I] daggled through the town.

Pope.

Daggle-tail Dag"gle-tail` (dăg"g'l-tāl`), Dag"gle- tailed` (-tāld`) adjective Having the lower ends of garments defiled by trailing in mire or filth; draggle- tailed.

Daggle-tail Dag"gle-tail` (-tāl`) noun A slovenly woman; a slattern; a draggle-tail.

Daglock Dag"lock` (-lŏk`) noun [ Dag a loose end + lock .] A dirty or clotted lock of wool on a sheep; a taglock.

Dago Da"go (dā"go) noun ; plural Dagos (-gōz). [ Confer Spanish Diego , English James .] A nickname given to a person of Spanish (or, by extension, Portuguese or Italian) descent. [ U. S.]

Dagoba Da·go"ba (dȧ*gō"bȧ) noun [ Singhalese dāgoba .] A dome- shaped structure built over relics of Buddha or some Buddhist saint. [ East Indies]

Dagon Da"gon (dā"gŏn), [ Hebrew Dāgon , from dag a fish: confer Greek Dagw`n .] The national god of the Philistines, represented with the face and hands and upper part of a man, and the tail of a fish. W. Smith.

This day a solemn feast the people hold
To Dagon , their sea idol.

Milton.

They brought it into the house of Dagon .

1 Sam. v. 2.

Dagon Dag"on (dăg"ŏn) noun [ See Dag a loose end.] A slip or piece. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Dagswain Dag"swain` noun [ From Dag a loose end?] A coarse woolen fabric made of daglocks, or the refuse of wool. "Under coverlets made of dagswain ." Holinshed.

Daguerrean Da·guer"re·an (dȧ*gĕr"ĭ* a n), Da*guerre"i*an adjective Pertaining to Daguerre, or to his invention of the daguerreotype.

Daguerreotype Da·guerre"o·type (dȧ*gĕr"o*tīp) noun [ From Daguerre the inventor + - type .] 1. An early variety of photograph, produced on a silver plate, or copper plate covered with silver, and rendered sensitive by the action of iodine, or iodine and bromine, on which, after exposure in the camera, the latent image is developed by the vapor of mercury.

2. The process of taking such pictures.

Daguerreotype Da·guerre"o·type (dȧ*gĕr"o*tīp) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Daguerreotyped (-tīpt); present participle & verbal noun Daguerreotyping (-tī`pĭng).] 1. To produce or represent by the daguerreotype process, as a picture.

2. To impress with great distinctness; to imprint; to imitate exactly.

Daguerreotyper, Daguerreotypist Da·guerre"o·ty`per, Da·guerre"o·ty`pist noun One who takes daguerreotypes.

Daguerreotypy Da·guerre"o·ty`py noun The art or process of producing pictures by method of Daguerre.

Dahabeah Da`ha·be"ah (dä`hȧ*bē"ȧ) noun [ Arabic ] A Nile boat constructed on the model of a floating house, having large lateen sails.

Dahlia Dah"lia (däl"yȧ or dāl"yȧ; 277, 106) noun ; plural Dahlias . [ Named after Andrew Dahl a Swedish botanist.] (Botany) A genus of plants native to Mexico and Central America, of the order Compositæ; also, any plant or flower of the genus. The numerous varieties of cultivated dahlias bear conspicuous flowers which differ in color.

Dahlin Dah"lin (dä"lĭn) noun [ From Dahlia .] (Chemistry) A variety of starch extracted from the dahlia; -- called also inulin . See Inulin .

Dahoon Da·hoon" (dȧ*hōn"), [ Origin unknown.] An evergreen shrub or small tree ( Ilex cassine ) of the southern United States, bearing red drupes and having soft, white, close- grained wood; -- called also dahoon holly .

Dailiness Dai"li·ness noun Daily occurence. [ R.]

Daily Dai"ly (dā"lȳ) adjective [ Anglo-Saxon dæglīc ; dæg day + -līc like. See Day .] Happening, or belonging to, each successive day; diurnal; as, daily labor; a daily bulletin.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Matt. vi. 11.

Bunyan has told us . . . that in New England his dream was the daily subject of the conversation of thousands.

Macaulay.

Syn. -- Daily , Diurnal . Daily is Anglo-Saxon, and diurnal is Latin. The former is used in reference to the ordinary concerns of life; as, daily wants, daily cares, daily employments. The latter is appropriated chiefly by astronomers to what belongs to the astronomical day; as, the diurnal revolution of the earth.

Man hath his daily work of body or mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of Heaven on all his ways.

Milton.

Half yet remains unsung, but narrower bound
Within the visible diurnal sphere.

Milton.

Daily Dai"ly noun ; plural Dailies A publication which appears regularly every day; as, the morning dailies .

Daily Dai"ly adverb Every day; day by day; as, a thing happens daily .

Daimio Dai"mi·o noun ; plural Daimios . [ Jap., from Chin. tai ming great name.] The title of the feudal nobles of Japan.

The daimios , or territorial nobles, resided in Yedo and were divided into four classes.

Am. Cyc.

Daint Daint noun [ See Dainty , noun ] Something of exquisite taste; a dainty. [ Obsolete] -- adjective Dainty. [ Obsolete]

To cherish him with diets daint .

Spenser.

Daintify Dain"ti·fy transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Daintified ; present participle & verbal noun Daintifying .] [ Dainty + -fy .] To render dainty, delicate, or fastidious. " Daintified emotion." Sat. rev.

Daintily Dain"ti·ly adverb In a dainty manner; nicely; scrupulously; fastidiously; deliciously; prettily.

Daintiness Dain"ti·ness noun The quality of being dainty; nicety; niceness; elegance; delicacy; deliciousness; fastidiousness; squeamishness.

The daintiness and niceness of our captains

Hakluyt.

More notorious for the daintiness of the provision . . . than for the massiveness of the dish.

Hakewill.

The duke exeeded in the daintiness of his leg and foot, and the earl in the fine shape of his hands,

Sir H. Wotton.

Daintrel Dain"trel noun [ From daint or dainty ; confer Old French daintier .] Adelicacy. [ Obsolete] Halliwell.

Dainty Dain"ty noun ; plural Dainties . [ Middle English deinie , dainte , deintie , deyntee , Old French deintié delicacy, orig., dignity, honor, from Latin dignitas , from dignus worthy. See Deign , and confer Dignity .] 1. Value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything. [ Obsolete]

I ne told no deyntee of her love.

Chaucer.

2. That which is delicious or delicate; a delicacy.

That precious nectar may the taste renew
Of Eden's dainties , by our parents lost.

Beau. & Fl.

3. A term of fondness. [ Poetic] B. Jonson.

Syn. -- Dainty , Delicacy . These words are here compared as denoting articles of food. The term delicacy as applied to a nice article of any kind, and hence to articles of food which are particularly attractive. Dainty is stronger, and denotes some exquisite article of cookery. A hotel may be provided with all the delicacies of the season, and its table richly covered with dainties .

These delicacies
I mean of taste, sight, smell, herbs, fruits, and flowers,
Walks and the melody of birds.

Milton.

[ A table] furnished plenteously with bread,
And dainties , remnants of the last regale.

Cowper.

Dainty Dain"ty adjective [ Compar. Daintier ; superl. Daintiest .] 1. Rare; valuable; costly. [ Obsolete]

Full many a deynté horse had he in stable.

Chaucer.

» Hence the proverb " dainty maketh dearth ," i. e. , rarity makes a thing dear or precious.

2. Delicious to the palate; toothsome.

Dainty bits
Make rich the ribs.

Shak.

3. Nice; delicate; elegant, in form, manner, or breeding; well-formed; neat; tender.

Those dainty limbs which nature lent
For gentle usage and soft delicacy.

Milton.

I would be the girdle.
About her dainty , dainty waist.

Tennyson.

4. Requiring dainties. Hence: Overnice; hard to please; fastidious; squeamish; scrupulous; ceremonious.

Thew were a fine and dainty people.

Bacon.

And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
But shift away.

Shak.

To make dainty , to assume or affect delicacy or fastidiousness. [ Obsolete]

Ah ha, my mistresses! which of you all
Will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty ,
She, I'll swear, hath corns.

Shak.

Daïra Da"ï·ra noun [ Turk. daire circuit department, from Arabic daïrah circle.] Any of several valuable estates of the Egyptian khedive or his family. The most important are the Da"i*ra Sa"ni*eh or Sa"ni*yeh , and the Da"i*ra Khas"sa , administered by the khedive's European bondholders, and known collectively as the Daira , or the Daira estates .

Dairy Dai"ry (dā"rȳ) noun ; plural Dairies (-rĭz). [ Middle English deierie , from deie , daie , maid; of Scand. origin; confer Icelandic deigja maid, dairymaid, Swedish deja , orig., a baking maid, from Icelandic deig . √66. See Dough .] 1. The place, room, or house where milk is kept, and converted into butter or cheese.

What stores my dairies and my folds contain.

Dryden.

2. That department of farming which is concerned in the production of milk, and its conversion into butter and cheese.

Grounds were turned much in England either to feeding or dairy ; and this advanced the trade of English butter.

Temple.

3. A dairy farm. [ R.]

» Dairy is much used adjectively or in combination; as, dairy farm, dairy countries, dairy house or dairy house, dairy room, dairy work, etc.

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