Nearby Words

daftness

[daft, dahft] Origin

daft

[daft, dahft]
adjective, -er, -est.
1.
senseless, stupid, or foolish.
2.
insane; crazy.
3.
Scot. merry; playful; frolicsome.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English dafte uncouth, awkward; earlier, gentle, meek, Old English dæfte; compare deft

daft·ly, adverb
daft·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Daftness is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
daft (dɑːft)
 
adj (foll by about)
1.  informal foolish, simple, or stupid
2.  a slang word for insane
3.  informal extremely fond (of)
4.  slang frivolous; giddy
 
[Old English gedæfte gentle, foolish; related to Middle Low German ondaft incapable]
 
'daftly
 
adv
 
'daftness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

daft
O.E. gedæfte "gentle, becoming," from P.Gmc. *gadaftjaz. Sense progression from "mildness" to "dullness" (14c.) to "foolish" (15c.) to "crazy" (1530s), probably influenced by analogy with daffe "halfwit."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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