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

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

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

Daffodil (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 (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 noun The quality of being daft.

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

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

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

Dagger (-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 transitive verb To pierce with a dagger; to stab. [ Obsolete]

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

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 (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 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 (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 (-tāl`) noun A slovenly woman; a slattern; a draggle-tail.

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

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

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

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

Daguerreotype (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.

Daguerreotyper, Daguerreotypist noun One who takes daguerreotypes.

Daguerreotypy noun The art or process of producing pictures by method of Daguerre.

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

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

Dahoon (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 noun Daily occurence. [ R.]

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

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

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

To cherish him with diets daint .

Spenser.

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

Daintily adverb In a dainty manner; nicely; scrupulously; fastidiously; deliciously; prettily.

Daintiness 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 noun [ From daint or dainty ; confer Old French daintier .] Adelicacy. [ Obsolete] Halliwell.