{"id":2048,"date":"2022-07-09T13:30:53","date_gmt":"2022-07-09T13:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=2048"},"modified":"2022-07-09T14:53:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-09T14:53:23","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-daff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=2048","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Daff"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Daff\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2022-07-09T13:30:53+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Today we\u2019re playing with the word daff.\n\n\n\nA Daff [d\u00e6f] is:\n\n \tA fool, idiot or blockhead\n\nIt comes from the Middle English daf(fe) (fool, idiot), from the Old Norse daufr (deaf, stupid), from the Proto-Germanic *daubaz [\u02c8d\u0251u\u032f.\u03b2\u0251z] (stunned, deaf), f...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8066\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-2048-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=2048-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"daff.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>Today we\u2019re playing with the word <strong>daff<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/various\/daff.jpg\" alt=\"Daff\" width=\"630\" height=\"250\"><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>Daff<\/strong> [d\u00e6f] is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A fool, idiot or blockhead<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It comes from the Middle English <strong>daf(fe)<\/strong> (fool, idiot), from the Old Norse <em>daufr<\/em> (deaf, stupid), from the Proto-Germanic <em>*daubaz<\/em> [\u02c8d\u0251u\u032f.\u03b2\u0251z] (stunned, deaf), from the PIE <em>*d\u02b0ewb\u02b0-<\/em> (hazy, unclear, dark, smoke, obscure) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/daff#Etymology_1\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>In northern dialects of English and in Scots, <strong>daff<\/strong> is a verb that means to be foolish, play, make sport or frolic. It comes from the same root as the noun <strong>daff<\/strong>, via the Middle English <em>daffen<\/em> (to render foolish) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/daff#Etymology_2\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same PIE root include <strong>deaf<\/strong> and <strong>dumb<\/strong> in English; and words for <strong>black<\/strong> in Celtic languages, such as <strong>du<\/strong> [d\u0268\u02d0\/di\u02d0] in Welsh, and <strong>dubh<\/strong> [d\u032a\u02e0\u028av\u02e0\/d\u032a\u02e0\u028aw\/duh] in Irish and Scottish Gaelic [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Category:Terms_derived_from_the_Proto-Indo-European_root_*d%CA%B0ewb%CA%B0-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Some words derived from <em>daff<\/em> include <strong>bedaff<\/strong> (to befool, make a fool of, confound), <strong>daffen<\/strong> (to make a daff, stun), <strong>daffish<\/strong> (stupid, silly), and <strong>daffy<\/strong> (somewhat mad or eccentric). Only the last one is much used these days. The others are obsolete or used only in some English dialects, and  in Scots [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atlantic_puffin#Taxonomy_and_etymology\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Daff<\/strong> is not related to <strong>daft<\/strong> (foolish, silly, stupid), which comes from the Middle English <em>dafte\/defte<\/em> (gentle, humble, modest, awkward, dull), from the Old English <em>d\u00e6fte<\/em> (gentle, meek, mild), from the Proto-West Germanic <em>*daft\u012b<\/em> (fitting, suitable),  from the PIE <em>*d\u02b0h\u2082eb\u02b0-<\/em> (fitting; to fit together) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/daft#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The English word <strong>deft<\/strong> comes from the same PIE root  [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/deft\">source<\/a>], as do words for good in Slavic languages, such as <strong>dobr\u00fd<\/strong> in Czech and Slovak, and <strong>\u0434\u043e\u0431\u044a\u0440<\/strong> [do\u02c8b\u0264\u027e] in Bulgarian [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic\/dobr%D1%8A\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/7VUKDrXJqNc\">video<\/a> I made of this information:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7VUKDrXJqNc\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Video made with <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/37vAg5P\">Doodly<\/a> [afflilate link].<\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You can also listen to this podcast on: <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/radio-omniglot\/id1432641094\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/8b1b1d1b-b39e-4277-b28d-479a3b5043b3\/radio-omniglot\">Amazon Music<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/radio-omniglot\">Stitcher<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/podcasts\/Education-Podcasts\/Radio-Omniglot-p1154145\/\">TuneIn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.podchaser.com\/podcasts\/radio-omniglot-716327\">Podchaser<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/player.fm\/series\/radio-omniglot\">PlayerFM<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/podtail.com\/da\/podcast\/radio-omniglot\/\">podtail<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Daff\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2022-07-09T13:30:53+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Today we\u2019re playing with the word daff.\n\n\n\nA Daff [d\u00e6f] is:\n\n \tA fool, idiot or blockhead\n\nIt comes from the Middle English daf(fe) (fool, idiot), from the Old Norse daufr (deaf, stupid), from the Proto-Germanic *daubaz [\u02c8d\u0251u\u032f.\u03b2\u0251z] (stunned, deaf), f...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8067\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-2048-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=2048-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/daff.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"daff.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>Today we\u2019re playing with the word daff. A Daff [d\u00e6f] is: A fool, idiot or blockhead It comes from the Middle English daf(fe) (fool, idiot), from the Old Norse daufr (deaf, stupid), from the Proto-Germanic *daubaz [\u02c8d\u0251u\u032f.\u03b2\u0251z] (stunned, deaf), from the PIE *d\u02b0ewb\u02b0- (hazy, unclear, dark, smoke, obscure) [source]. In northern dialects of English and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,121,33,20,56,6,4,58,55,1,57,59,119,111,5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-bulgarian-","category-czech","category-english","category-etymology","category-irish","category-language","category-middle-english","category-old-english-aenglisc","category-podcast","category-proto-germanic","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-west-germanic","category-scots","category-scottish-gaelic","category-welsh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2048"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2052,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048\/revisions\/2052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}