English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

da

noun

An informal or dialect word for "father."

Daan

name

A district in both Taipei and Taichung, Taiwan.

dab

verb

To touch something lightly and repeatedly with a soft object, without rubbing.

dabb

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

dabble

verb

To try an activity casually or occasionally, without serious commitment.

dabbled

adj

Marked with small spots or patches of colour, especially describing an animal's coat.

dabbler

noun

Someone who tries an activity without much serious effort or skill.

dabbling

noun

The act of trying something casually, without serious commitment.

dabbs

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

dabinett

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

Dabney

name

A surname of Norman origin, also the name of several small communities in the United States.

dabson

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

dacha

noun

A Russian country house or cottage, often used as a holiday retreat.

Dachau

name

A town in Bavaria, Germany, and the site of the first Nazi concentration camp, built there in 1933.

dachshund

noun

A breed of dog with a long body and very short legs, originally bred to hunt burrowing animals.

dacoit

noun

A member of an armed gang of robbers, especially historically in India and neighbouring regions.

dacoity

noun

Violent robbery committed by a dacoit, or by a band of dacoits.

dactyl

noun

A unit of poetic rhythm made up of three syllables, one long or stressed followed by two short or unstressed.

dactylography

noun

The study of fingerprints as a way of identifying individual people.

dactylology

noun

Communicating using hand and finger signs, especially used by deaf people.

dactyly

noun

How many digits (fingers and toes) a tetrapod has, and how they are arranged, on its hands, feet, or, sometimes, wings.

dad

noun

A father; an informal, affectionate word for one's male parent.

dad joke

noun

A short, obvious joke, usually a pun, that is groan-inducing rather than genuinely funny and is told with complete confidence.

dada

noun

An early childhood word for father.

dadaism

noun

The cultural and artistic movement known as Dada.

daddocky

adj

Rotten and decayed, used to describe wood.

daddy

noun

A father, especially as used by young children or in affectionate address.

daddy issues

noun

Emotional difficulties, especially in relationships, that are attributed to a troubled, distant or absent relationship with one's father.

Dade

name

A surname and male given name of Irish origin.

dado

noun

The lower part of an interior wall when it is decorated or finished differently from the wall above.

Daedalus

name

A skilled craftsman in Greek mythology, father of Icarus, who built the wings they used to escape Crete.

daemon

noun

In computing, a background program that runs without direct user control, handling ongoing tasks.

daemonic

adj

An archaic spelling of demonic.

daemonical

adj

Connected with evil spirits, or wicked and devilish.

daeva

noun

An unpleasant supernatural being, usually thought of as a kind of demon.

daff

noun

A silly or stupid person.

daffodil

noun

A bulb plant with a trumpet-shaped yellow flower, blooming in early spring.

daffy

adj

Silly or eccentric in a mild, harmless way.

daft

adj

Foolish, silly, or lacking good sense.

daftness

noun

The quality of being silly or foolish.

dag

noun

A ragged, pointed strip hanging from the edge of a piece of clothing, or a clump of matted wool and dirt on a sheep.

dagger

noun

A short weapon with a pointed, double-edged blade, used for stabbing.

dagging

noun

An ornamental edge cut into points, fashionable on clothing in the late Middle Ages.

daglock

noun

A tangled, dirty tuft of wool hanging from a sheep.

dagmar

noun

A bullet-shaped chrome bumper ornament seen on American cars, especially Cadillacs, in the 1950s.

dago

noun

(offensive slang, dated) A derogatory term for a person of Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese descent.

Dagwood

noun

An enormous multi-layered sandwich stuffed with many different fillings.

dah

noun

The spoken sound representing a dash in Morse code, as opposed to a "dit" for a dot.

Dahl

name

A surname of Scandinavian origin.

dahlia

noun

A garden plant with large, colourful, tuberous flowers, native to Mexico.

Dahmer

name

A surname of German origin.

dai

noun

A traditional birth attendant or midwife, especially in South Asia.

daikon

noun

A large white East Asian radish with a long root shaped like a carrot, eaten widely across East and South Asia and sometimes grown elsewhere as animal feed or to loosen soil.

dailey

name

A surname of Irish origin.

dailies

noun

Raw, unedited footage from a day of filming, reviewed by the cast and crew the next day.

daily

adj

Happening or done every day.

daily digest

noun

A regular, usually daily, summary of recent news, updates or activity — commonly delivered by email or app notification.

daimon

noun

A guardian spirit or divine influence believed in ancient Greek thought to guide a person's fate or conscience; a scholarly spelling used to distinguish this idea from the later, more sinister sense of "demon."

daimonian

noun

A guiding spirit, particularly the one said to have advised Socrates.

daimyo

noun

A powerful feudal lord in pre-modern Japan who controlled large areas of land.

daintiness

noun

The quality of being delicate and neat.

dainty

adjective

Delicate, small, and pretty in an elegant way.

daiquiri

noun

A cocktail made from rum, lime or lemon juice, and sugar, sometimes blended with fruit.

dairy

noun

Milk and foods made from it, such as cheese, butter, and yogurt.

dairyman

noun

A man employed to work in a dairy.

dais

noun

A raised platform, as at the front of a hall, used for a speaker, head table, or seat of honour.

Daisuke

name

A male given name of Japanese origin.

daisy

noun

A small flowering plant with a yellow centre and white petals, or any of several related flowering plants.

dak

noun

A postal system in which relays of horses stationed along a route carried mail and passengers.

Dakar

name

The capital city of Senegal.

Dake

name

A surname.

Dakin

name

A surname transferred from a medieval given name, also a small locality in Alberta, Canada.

Dakota

name

A Native American people, part of the Sioux, and the Siouan language they speak.

dal

noun

Split lentils, peas, or beans used in South Asian cooking, or a spiced dish made from them.

dalaal

noun

A person who acts as a middleman between two parties.

dalal

noun

A broker or go-between who arranges deals for a fee.

dale

noun

A valley, especially a broad, gentle one.

Dalek

noun

One of the robotic mutant villains from the British television series Doctor Who, known for their metallic casings, grating voices, and single-minded drive to "exterminate."

Dales

name

A surname, and an informal name for the Yorkshire Dales, an upland area in Northern England.

Daley

noun

(British, informal) A supporter of Rochdale Association Football Club.

dali

name

A city and surrounding prefecture in Yunnan province, China.

Dalia

name

A surname with several possible origins, including Italian, Arabic, and Bengali.

Dallas

name

A large city in Texas, also a surname, given name, and the name of a small village in Scotland from which the surname originates.

dalliance

noun

A brief, playful romance or flirtation, not meant to be serious.

dallier

noun

Someone who dawdles or keeps putting things off.

dally

verb

To waste time or delay unnecessarily.

Dalmatian

noun

A breed of dog with short white fur covered in dark spots.

Dalrymple

name

A habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic, taken from a village in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Dalton

noun

A unit of atomic mass, roughly equal to the mass of a hydrogen atom, used to measure the mass of molecules and proteins.

Daly

name

A surname of Irish origin, also the name of a river in Australia.

dam

noun

A barrier built across a river or stream to hold back or control the flow of water.

damage

noun

Harm or injury that reduces the value, soundness, or usefulness of something.

damaged

adjective

Harmed, broken, or no longer in perfect condition.

damages

noun

Money awarded by a court to compensate someone for a loss or injury they suffered.

damaging

adjective

Causing harm, injury, or a loss in value.

Damascus

noun

The capital city of Syria, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

damask

noun

A reversible fabric, traditionally silk or linen, woven so that its pattern shows through the contrast between matte and shiny threads rather than through dye.

dambuster

noun

A plane built to bomb and break open dams.

dame

noun

A title given to a woman who holds a high honour, equivalent to "Sir" for a man.

Damian

noun

A male given name of Greek origin.

Damien

noun

A male given name, the French form of Damian.

Damini

name

A female given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "lightning."

damme

intj

A dated exclamation of anger, frustration, or emphasis.

dammit

intj

An exclamation of anger, frustration, or disappointment.

damn

interjection

Used to express anger, frustration, or surprise.

damnable

adjective

Extremely bad or deserving strong condemnation.

damnation

noun

Eternal punishment, especially in a religious sense; the state of being condemned.

damned

adv

Used to add emphasis, especially to complaints or strong statements — a milder stand-in for the swear word it comes from.

damnedest

noun

The greatest effort someone is capable of making.

damning

adj

Strongly suggesting guilt or wrongdoing; hard to explain away.

damnit

intj

An exclamation of anger or frustration; an alternative spelling of "dammit."

Damocles

name

A courtier at the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, famed for the legend of the sword suspended above his head.

Damon

name

A male given name of Ancient Greek origin, and an English and Scottish surname.

damp

adj

Slightly wet; not dry but not soaking either.

dampen

verb

To make something slightly wet.

dampening

noun

The process of making something damp, or of reducing its intensity.

damper

noun

Something that spoils an otherwise good mood or occasion.

dampness

noun

The state of being slightly wet.

damsel

noun

An old-fashioned or literary word for a young, unmarried woman, especially one in a story who needs rescuing.

damson

noun

A small, dark purple plum, or the tree it grows on.

dan

noun

A ranking level of black belt awarded in martial arts such as judo or karate, or a person holding that rank.

Dana

name

A unisex given name, used for both men and women in English-speaking countries.

danae

name

The mother of Perseus by Zeus.

Danbury

name

A city in Connecticut, and a village in Essex, England, among several other places sharing the name.

Danby

name

A surname, and a village in North Yorkshire, England, among other places sharing the name.

dance

verb

To move the body in a rhythmic way, usually in time with music.

dancer

noun

A person who dances, whether as a job, hobby, or profession.

dancing

noun

The activity of moving to music as a dance.

dand

noun

A type of press-up done in traditional Indian exercise.

dandelion

noun

A common weed with bright yellow flowers and jagged leaves that turns into a white puffball of seeds.

dander

noun

Tiny flakes of skin shed by animals, a common trigger for allergies.

dandie

noun

Another name for Dandie Dinmont.

dandle

verb

To bounce a child gently on your knee or in your arms as a form of play.

Dandridge

name

A surname of Old English origin, also a city in Tennessee.

dandruff

noun

Small white flakes of dead skin that shed from the scalp.

dandy

noun

A man who is unusually preoccupied with his clothes, grooming, and refined manners.

Dane

noun

A person from Denmark, or a member of the Scandinavian ethnic group native to it.

Danes

name

A surname of varied origin.

Danforth

name

A surname.

dang

intj

A mild substitute for "damn," used to express surprise or frustration without swearing.

danger

noun

The possibility of harm, injury, or death.

dangerous

adj

Likely to cause harm, injury, or death.

dangerously

adv

In a way that creates or involves danger.

dangersome

adj

Full of danger; risky.

dangle

verb

To hang loosely, swinging freely.

dangling

adj

Hanging loosely, especially so as to swing freely.

Dani

name

A diminutive of the female given name Danielle, or a rare spelling of Danny; also a surname of Gujarati origin.

Danica

name

A female given name from the Slavic languages, referring to the morning star.

Daniel

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God is my judge," borne by the prophet in the Old Testament book of the same name.

Daniela

name

A female given name of Hebrew origin, the feminine form of Daniel.