daw

[daw]

noun

jackdaw.

Obsolete. simpleton; fool.

Origin of daw

1400–50; late Middle English dawe; compare Old High German taha

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

Examples from the Web for daw

Historical Examples of daw

He who is connected with a "daw," or drab, has many troubles to put up with.
The Proverbs of Scotland
Alexander Hislop
When he getta his house he lock long tem at his daw, but was no answer.
Masterpieces of Mystery In Four Volumes
Various
All old Daw said was, “Do you know anything about her, policeman?”
Mr. Witt's Widow
Anthony Hope
Quhat better is the house that the Daw rises in the morning.
A Collection of Scotch Proverbs
Anonymous
Mr. Daw himself, even as he showed the assay, admired it over and over.
Young Wallingford
George Randolph Chester

British Dictionary definitions for daw

daw

noun

an archaic, dialect, or poetic name for a jackdaw

Word Origin for daw

C15: related to Old High German taha

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 daw

early 15c., from Proto-Germanic *dakhwo (cf. Old High German taha, German Dohle), perhaps imitative of bird's cry. Medieval Latin tacula, Italian taccola are said to be Germanic loan words.