dally
/ˈdæli/
verb
Origin
Old French
dallier — to chat, play, or jest
Overview
Meaning Now
- To act or move slowly; to waste time.
- To deal lightly or carelessly with someone or something; to flirt.
Language path
Old French → Middle English → Modern English
Earliest form
dalyen
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word originally carried a much more social connotation, focusing on the act of idle chatter or courtship. Over time, particularly by the early modern period, the sense of 'wasting time' became the dominant usage in many contexts, though the flirtatious sense remains in literature.
Evolution
- 12th-century Old French
dallier
“to chat, to gossip, to trifle”
Possibly derived from a lost form related to the act of social play or flirting.
- 14th-century Middle English
dalyen
“to talk idly, to converse, to amuse oneself”
Borrowed into English indicating lighthearted social interaction.
- 16th-century English
dally
“to delay or linger”
The meaning broadened from social idling to general physical delay.
Connections
Word parts
dally
root
to waste time or flirt
Related across languages
Old French
dallier
to chat, to trifle
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Related to dally
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.