didapper

Meaning

Noun

• A small diving water bird frequenting rivers and fresh waters, specifically a little grebe or dabchick.
• A scoundrel, a worthless person.

Origin

• From Middle English dydoppar, from earlier douedoppe, deuedep, dyuedap with agentive suffix -er, from Old English dūfedoppa ("diving bird, pelican"), from dūfan + *doppa (whence modern English dop ("diving bird")). Synchronically equivalent to dive + dop + -er.