dagger
dagger Lexical Profile
dagger Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A short, often double-edged knife with a pointed blade, primarily designed for stabbing or thrusting.
"The historical museum featured an ornate medieval dagger with a jeweled hilt."
A typographical symbol (†) used in printed text to indicate a footnote, a cross-reference, or to mark a person's death year.
"The editor placed a dagger next to the author's name to indicate that he had passed away before publication."
• verb
To strike, pierce, or stab with a dagger.
"In the final act of the tragedy, the protagonist is treacherously daggered by his closest ally."
To mark a portion of text with a dagger symbol (†) for editorial or typographical purposes.
"The proofreader decided to dagger the obsolete terms in the glossary to draw the formatting team's attention."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'knife' serves as a broad term for various cutting tools, 'dagger' is strictly reserved for a double-edged weapon specifically designed for thrusting and stabbing.
• Rhymes for dagger
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Late Middle English: likely derived from the obsolete verb 'dag' (to pierce or stab) combined with the suffix '-er', or possibly adopted from the Old French 'dague'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.