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daff

1
[ daf ]
/ dæf /
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verb (used without object) Scot. and North England.
to make sport; dally; play.
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Origin of daff

1
1525–35; v. use of daff (obsolete) a fool, Middle English daffe (noun); see daft

Words nearby daff

Daedalion, Daedalus, daemon, daemonology, Daesh, daff, daffadilly, daffadowndilly, daffing, daffodil, daffy

Other definitions for daff (2 of 2)

daff2
[ daf ]
/ dæf /
verb (used with object)
Archaic. to turn or thrust aside.
Obsolete. to doff.

Origin of daff

2
First recorded in 1590–1600; alteration of doff
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use daff in a sentence

  • No that the King is sair to live with either, so that he can eat and drink and daff, and be let alone to take his ease.

    Two Penniless Princesses|Charlotte M. Yonge

  • Mr. Daff, however, offered the best apology for his absence that could be made.

    The Ayrshire Legatees|John Galt

British Dictionary definitions for daff (1 of 2)

daff1
/ (dæf) /
noun
informal short for daffodil

British Dictionary definitions for daff (2 of 2)

daff2
/ (dɑːf) /
verb
(intr) mainly Scot to frolic; play the fool

Word Origin for daff

C16: from obsolete daff fool, of uncertain origin
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
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