Dagger Definition

Origin of Dagger

• 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.

  From Wiktionary

• 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).

  From Wiktionary

• 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”).

  From Wiktionary

• 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

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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

  From Wiktionary

• Perhaps from diagonal.

  From Wiktionary