# dagger

Pronunciation: US say "DAG-er" /ˈdæɡəɹ/; UK say "DAG-uh" /ˈdæɡə/

## Noun

1. A stabbing weapon like a sword but with a short blade sharpened along both edges.
   - Simple: A weapon like a small sword, with a short blade that is sharp on both sides.
   - _He drew a dagger from his boot and lunged at the guard._
   - _Ornate daggers with jeweled hilts lined the walls of the armory._
3. The typographical mark †, a small symbol shaped like a cross.
   - Simple: The small cross-shaped mark † used in printing and writing.
   - _In the team photo caption, a dagger beside a player's name shows that he has since died._
   - _With the asterisk already taken, the typesetter used a dagger for the second footnote._
4. In basketball or American football, a late score that puts a team ahead or stretches its lead, making a win likely.
   - Simple: A late score in basketball or football that puts a team ahead or further ahead, so it will likely win.
   - _His fourth-quarter touchdown was the dagger that sent fans streaming toward the exits._
   - _The guard buried a three-point dagger with 40 seconds left, all but ending the game._
6. A timber set diagonally in the frame of a ship.
   - Simple: A piece of wood placed at an angle across a ship's frame.
   - _The shipwright bolted a dagger diagonally across the frame timbers._
   - _Rot had softened the old daggers, and the hull had begun to sag._

## Verb

2. To pierce with a dagger, or more generally to stab.
   - Simple: To stab someone, especially with a dagger.
   - _The assassins planned to dagger the senator as he entered the hall._
   - _She daggered the sack of grain to see what was hidden inside._
5. To perform the dance known as daggering. *(Jamaica)*
   - Simple: To do the dance called daggering.
   - _Few dancers at the session could dagger with that much energy._
   - _Some promoters banned performers from daggering on stage._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5** — From Middle English daggere, probably adapted from Old French dague, with related forms in many languages, such as Italian and Spanish daga and German Degen; in English it is attested from the 1380s. Its ultimate origin is unclear: suggestions include a Celtic source, an unattested Vulgar Latin *daca ("Dacian knife"), and the English verb dag ("to stab").
**Meaning 6** — Perhaps from diagonal.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dagger (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).