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daft

[daft, dahft]
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adjective, daft·er, daft·est.
  1. senseless, stupid, or foolish.
  2. insane; crazy.
  3. Scot. merry; playful; frolicsome.
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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. 2018

Related Words

madness, silliness, craziness, absurdity, indiscretion, foolishness, recklessness, idiocy, stupidity, lunacy, inanity, fatuity, vice, triviality, imprudence, imbecility, impracticality, irrationality, senselessness, rashness
British Dictionary definitions for daftness

daft

adjective mainly British
  1. informal foolish, simple, or stupid
  2. a slang word for insane
  3. informal (postpositive foll by about) extremely fond (of)
  4. slang frivolous; giddy
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Derived Formsdaftly, adverbdaftness, noun

Word Origin

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 daftness

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."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper