daff

Meanings

Noun

• A fool; an idiot; a blockhead.
• Short form of daffodil
• Alternative of daf

Verb

• To be foolish; make sport; play; toy.
• To daunt.
• To toss (aside); to dismiss.
• To turn (someone) aside; divert.

Origin

• From Middle English daf, daffe, from Old Norse daufr ("deaf, stupid"), from Proto-Germanic *daubaz ("deaf, stunned"), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ("to whisk, whirl, smoke, be obscure"). dowf, and dof. Cognate with Swedish döv ("deaf"), Danish døv ("deaf, stupid"). More at deaf.
• From Middle English daffen ("to render foolish"), from daf, daffe. See above.
• Variant of doff.
• From daffodil.