dagger

dag·ger

An ornamental dagger.

noun

The definition of a dagger is a short weapon with a sharp point that is used for stabbing, or something that hurts someone like a weapon.

An example of a dagger is a short metal sword used during the middle ages.
An example of a dagger is a mean insult.

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"dagger." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 04 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Dagger>.

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dagger. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Dagger

dagger

a weapon with a short, pointed blade, used for stabbing
a symbol (†) used as a reference mark or to indicate that a person listed has died

Origin of dagger

Middle English daggere from Old French dague from Old Provençal daga

to stab with a dagger
to mark with a dagger

dagger Idioms

stare daggers at

to look at with anger or hatred

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"dagger." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 04 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Dagger>.

APA Style

dagger. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Dagger

dagger

noun

A short pointed weapon with sharp edges.
Something that agonizes, torments, or wounds.
Printing
a. See obelisk.
b. A double dagger.

Origin of dagger

Middle English daggere alteration of Old French dague from Old Provençal dague or Old Italian daga both perhaps from Vulgar Latin dāca (ēnsis) Dacian (knife) from feminine of Latin Dācus

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"dagger." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 04 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Dagger>.

APA Style

dagger. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Dagger

Noun

(plural daggers)

(weapon) A stabbing weapon, similar to a sword but with a short, double-edged blade.
The text character †; the obelus.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present daggers, present participle daggering, simple past and past participle daggered)

To pierce with a dagger; to stab.

Origin

Probably from Old French dague (1229), related to Occitan, Italian, Spanish daga, German Degen, Middle Low German dagge (“knife's point”), Old Norse daggardr, Welsh dager, dagr, Breton dac, Albanian thikë (“a knife, dagger”), thek (“to stab, to pierce with a sharp object”).

In English attested from the 1380s. The ultimate origin of the word is unclear. Grimm suspects Celtic origin. Others have suggested derivation from an unattested Vulgar Latin *daca "Dacian [knife]", from the Latin adjective dācus. Chastelain (Dictionaire etymologique, 1750) thought that French dague was a derivation from German dagge, dagen, although not attested until a much later date).

The knightly dagger evolves from the 12th century. Guillaume le Breton (died 1226) uses daca in his Philippide. Other Middle Latin forms include daga, dagga, dagha, dagger, daggerius, daggerium, dagarium, dagarius, diga; the forms with -r- are late 14th century adoptions of the English word). OED points out that there is also an English verb dag (“to stab”) from which this could be a derivation, but the verb is attested only from about 1400.

Relation to Old Armenian դակու (daku, “adze, axe”) has also been suggested.

Noun

(plural daggers)