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English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

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“D” Words

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.
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.
dabbling
noun
The act of trying something casually, without serious commitment.
Dabney
name
A surname of Norman origin, also the name of several small communities in the United States.
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.
dad
noun
A father; an informal, affectionate word for one's male parent.
dada
noun
An early childhood word for father.
daddy
noun
A father, especially as used by young children or in affectionate address.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
daimyo
noun
A powerful feudal lord in pre-modern Japan who controlled large areas of land.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
damsel
noun
An old-fashioned or literary word for a young, unmarried woman, especially one in a story who needs rescuing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Daniele
name
A surname of Italian origin.
Daniella
name
A female given name of Hebrew origin, a variant of Daniela and Danielle.
Danielle
name
A female given name of French origin, the feminine form of Daniel.
Danish
adj
Relating to Denmark, its people, language, or culture.
dank
adj
Unpleasantly damp, cold, and musty, especially of an enclosed space.
Danko
name
A surname of Slovak origin.
Danner
name
A surname.
Danno
name
A nickname for the given name Daniel.
Danny
name
A unisex given name, a diminutive of Daniel or of Danielle and its variants.
Dans
name
A surname.
Danson
name
A surname.
Dante
name
A male given name, popularized in tribute to the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy.
Danton
verb
Archaic: to intimidate or overpower someone into submission; to cow.
Danube
name
A major river in Europe that runs about 2,850 kilometres from Germany through Central and Eastern Europe to the Black Sea.
Danvers
name
A surname and male given name, also the name of a town in Massachusetts and other places in the United States and Canada.
Danville
name
The name of numerous cities and towns across the United States and Canada, most notably an independent city in Virginia.
Danzig
name
A historical German name for the city of Gdańsk, Poland, used especially in reference to its time under Prussian or German rule.
Danziger
noun
A native or resident of Danzig, the historic name for the city now known as Gdańsk, Poland.
dao
noun
A traditional Chinese single-edged sword with a curved blade, used mainly for slashing and chopping.
Daph
name
A diminutive of the female given name Daphne.
Daphne
name
A female given name, from the Greek myth of a nymph who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo.
dapper
adj
Neat and stylish in dress and appearance, especially of a man.
dar
pron
A nonstandard or dialectal spelling representing "there" in some varieties of English, including African-American Vernacular English.
Dara
name
A unisex given name used in Irish, Persian, and Slavic naming traditions.
darby
noun
A long-handled tool used to smooth and level a freshly poured concrete surface before it sets.
Darcy
name
A surname of Norman French origin, also used as a given name for both men and women.
dare
verb
To have the courage or nerve to do something.
daredevil
noun
A person who takes reckless risks, often for excitement or attention.
Daren
name
A male given name, a variant of Darren.
daresay
verb
Used chiefly in the phrase "I daresay" to mean one supposes or thinks something is probably true.
Darfur
name
A region in western Sudan, home to the Fur people and the site of a major humanitarian crisis in the early 2000s.
Daria
name
A female given name of Old Persian origin, the feminine form of Darius.
Darian
name
A modern unisex given name, likely coined from names such as Darius or Dorian.
Darin
name
A male given name transferred from the surname, a variant of Darren.
daring
adj
Willing to take risks; bold and adventurous.
Dario
name
A male given name and surname, common in Italy and Spain.
Darius
name
The name of several ancient Persian kings of the Achaemenid dynasty, and a male given name derived from it.
Darjeeling
name
A hill town and district in West Bengal, India, famous for the tea grown there.
dark
adj
Having little or no light.