dagger
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (2)daggers
- a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbingSynonyms: stickerType of knifeKinds poniard, kirpan, kris, dirk, stilettoParts hilt, haft
- a character used in printing to indicate a second cross reference or footnote when the asterisk has already been usedSynonyms: obeliskType of character, graph
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: Cf. OE. daggen to pierce, F. daguer. See Dag a dagger.
1. A short weapon used for stabbing. This is the general term: cf. Poniard, Stiletto, Bowie knife, Dirk, Misericorde, Anlace.
2. Printing A mark of reference in the form of a dagger [†]. It is the second in order when more than one reference occurs on a page; — called also obelisk.
Dagger moth Zoology, any moth of the genus Apatalea. The larvæ are often destructive to the foliage of fruit trees, etc. — Dagger of lath, the wooden weapon given to the Vice in the old Moralities. William Shakespeare — Double dagger, a mark of reference [‡] which comes next in order after the dagger. — To look daggers, or To speak daggers, to look or speak fiercely or reproachfully.
To pierce with a dagger; to stab. obsolete
Origin: Perh. from diagonal.
A timber placed diagonally in a ship's frame. Knight, Edward Henry
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54