My British friends are always rambling on about being “daft.” I thought the word has the same origins as “daffy” but in fact it does not.
- daft
- O.E. gedæfte “gentle, becoming,” from P.Gmc. *gadaftjaz. Sense progression from “mildness” to “dullness” (14c.) to “foolish” (15c.) to “crazy” (1530s), probably influenced by analogy with daffe “halfwit.”
So while “daft” does not have the same origins as “daffy,” it ended up borrowing daffy’s meaning. That’s so daft!
