What does "dagger" mean?
A stabbing weapon, similar to a sword but with a short, double-edged blade.
Dagger
/ˈdæɡə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A stabbing weapon, similar to a sword but with a short, double-edged blade.
- Grammar: dagger is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adjoint, ankh, avellan cross, ax.
- Useful contrasts: asterisk, club, combat dagger.
- Usage evidence: Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?
How to use "dagger"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dagger" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dagger" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dagger" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dagger" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dagger" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adjoint" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dagger", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A stabbing weapon, similar to a sword but with a short, double-edged blade.
"The dagger, under the title cultellum and misericorde, has been the constant companion of the sword, at least from the days of Edward I. and is mentioned in the statute of Winchester."
- 2 A timber placed diagonally in a ship's frame.
"DAGGER. A piece of timber that faces on to the poppets of the bilgeways, and crosses them diagonally , to keep them together"
- 3 A player, supporter or other person connected with Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club.
- 4 a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing wordnet
- 5 The typographical mark †.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a character used in printing to indicate a second cross reference or footnote when the asterisk has already been used wordnet
- 7 A point scored near the end of the game (clutch time) to take or increase the scorer's team lead, so that they are likely to win.
"His last-minute 3-point dagger silenced the criticism for his so-called failure to come up big in big moments."
Verb
- 1 To pierce with a dagger; to stab.
- 2 To perform the daggering dance. Jamaica
Example
"Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dagger"?
Common synonyms include: adjoint, ankh, avellan cross, ax, bayonet, blade.
How do you use "dagger" in a sentence?
Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?
How do you pronounce "dagger"?
Pronounced /ˈdæɡə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English daggere, daggare, dagard, probably adapted from Old French dague (1229), related to Occitan, Italian, Spanish daga, Dutch dagge, German Degen, Middle Low German dagge (“knife's point”), Old Norse daggarðr, Danish daggert, Faroese daggari, Welsh dager, dagr, Breton dac, Albanian thikë (“a knife, dagger”), thek (“to stab, to pierce with a sharp object”). In English attested from the 1380s. The ultimate origin of the word is unclear. Grimm suspects Celtic origin. Others have suggested derivation from an unattested Vulgar Latin *daca "Dacian [knife]", from the Latin adjective dācus. Chastelain (Dictionaire etymologique, 1750) thought that French dague was a derivation from German dagge, dagen, although not attested until a much later date). The knightly dagger evolves from the 12th century. Guillaume le Breton (died 1226) uses daca in his Philippide. Other Middle Latin forms include daga, dagga, dagha, dagger, daggerius, daggerium, dagarium, dagarius, diga; the forms with -r- are late 14th century adoptions of the English word). OED points out that there is also an English verb dag (“to stab”) from which this could be a derivation, but the verb is attested only from about 1400. Relation to Old Armenian դակու (daku, “adze, axe”) has also been suggested. Alternatively, a connection from Proto-Indo-European *dʰāg-u- and cognate with Ancient Greek θήγω (thḗgō, “to sharpen, whet”).
Etymology 2
Perhaps from diagonal.