daff

daff · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dʰewbʰ-“to whisk, whirl, smoke, be obscure”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*daubaz“deaf, stunned”
3. Old Norse · derived fromdaufr“deaf, stupid”
4. Middle English · inherited fromdaf
5. English todaydaff

From Middle English daf, daffe (“fool, idiot”), from Old Norse daufr (“deaf, stupid”), from Proto-Germanic *daubaz (“deaf, stunned”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“to whisk, whirl, smoke, be obscure”). Doublet of deaf, dof, and dowf. Cognate with Swedish döv (“deaf”), Danish døv (“deaf, stupid”). More at deaf.

daff · verb²

1. Middle English · inherited fromdaffen“to render foolish”
2. English todaydaff

From Middle English daffen (“to render foolish”), from daf, daffe (“fool, idiot”). See above.

daff · verb³

Variant of doff.

daff · noun⁴

From daffodil.

Words from the same roots