Dad
(Dad) n. [Prob. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. daid, Gael. daidein, W. tad, OL. tata, Gr. ta`ta, te`tta,
Skr. tata.] Father; — a word sometimes used by children.
I was never so bethumped with words,
Since I first called my brother's father dad.
Shak. Daddle
(Dad"dle) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Daddled p. pr. & vb. n. Daddling.] [Prob. freq. of dade.] To
toddle; to walk unsteadily, like a child or an old man; hence, to do anything slowly or feebly.
Daddock
(Dad"dock) n. [Cf. Prov. E. dad a large piece.] The rotten body of a tree. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
Daddy
(Dad"dy) n. Diminutive of Dad. Dryden.
Daddy longlegs
(Dad"dy long"legs`)
1. (Zoöl.) An arachnidan of the genus Phalangium, and allied genera, having a small body and four
pairs of long legs; — called also harvestman, carter, and grandfather longlegs.
2. (Zoöl.) A name applied to many species of dipterous insects of the genus Tipula, and allied genera,
with slender bodies, and very long, slender legs; the crane fly; — called also father longlegs.
Dade
(Dade) v. t. [Of. uncertain origin. Cf. Dandle, Daddle.] To hold up by leading strings or by the
hand, as a child while he toddles. [Obs.]
Little children when they learn to go
By painful mothers daded to and fro.
Drayton. Dade
(Dade), v. i. To walk unsteadily, as a child in leading strings, or just learning to walk; to move
slowly. [Obs.]
No sooner taught to dade, but from their mother trip.
Drayton. Dado
(Da"do) n.; pl. Dadoes [It. dado die, cube, pedestal; of the same origin as E. die, n. See Die,
n.] (Arch.) (a) That part of a pedestal included between the base and the cornice (or surbase); the
die. See Illust. of Column. Hence: (b) In any wall, that part of the basement included between the
base and the base course. See Base course, under Base. (c) In interior decoration, the lower part of
the wall of an apartment when adorned with moldings, or otherwise specially decorated.
Dædal
(Dæ"dal Dæ*dal"ian) , a. [L. daedalus cunningly wrought, fr. Gr. ; cf. to work cunningly. The word
also alludes to the mythical Dædalus (Gr. , lit., the cunning worker).]
1. Cunningly or ingeniously formed or working; skillful; artistic; ingenious.
Our bodies decked in our dædalian arms.
Chapman.
The dædal hand of Nature.
J. Philips.
The doth the dædal earth throw forth to thee,
Out of her fruitful, abundant flowers.
Spenser. 2. Crafty; deceitful. [R.] Keats.
Dædalous
(Dæd"a*lous) a. (Bot.) Having a variously cut or incised margin; — said of leaves.
Dæmon
(Dæ"mon) n., Dæmonic
(Dæ*mon"ic) a. See Demon, Demonic.
Daff
(Daff) v. t. [Cf. Doff.] To cast aside; to put off; to doff. [Obs.]
Canst thou so daff me? Thou hast killed my child.
Shak.
