daft

[daft, dahft]

adjective, daft·er, daft·est.

senseless, stupid, or foolish.

insane; crazy.

Scot. merry; playful; frolicsome.

Origin of daft

before 1000; Middle English dafte uncouth, awkward; earlier, gentle, meek, Old English dæfte; cf. deft

Related formsdaft·ly, adverbdaft·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for daftly

Historical Examples of daftly

"I'm none so daft as daftly dealt with, mother," interrupted the blacksmith.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
He daftly pulled half-a-dozen tickets from his stock and permitted me to inspect them.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, March 4th 1914
Various

British Dictionary definitions for daftly

daft

adjective mainly British

informal foolish, simple, or stupid

a slang word for insane

informal (postpositive foll by about) extremely fond (of)

slang frivolous; giddy

Derived Formsdaftly, adverbdaftness, noun

Word Origin for daft

Old English gedæfte gentle, foolish; related to Middle Low German ondaft incapable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for daftly

daft

adj.

Old English gedæfte "gentle, becoming," from Proto-Germanic *gadaftjaz (cf. Old English daeftan "to put in order, arrange," gedafen "suitable;" Gothic gadaban "to be fit"), from PIE *dhabh- "to fit together." Sense progression from "mild" (c.1200) to "dull" (c.1300) to "foolish" (mid-15c.) to "crazy" (1530s) probably was influenced by analogy with daffe "halfwit."