noun
dagger
DA-guh
noun
1
A short weapon with a pointed, double-edged blade, used for stabbing.
"He kept a small dagger tucked into his boot."
"The knight drew his dagger as the ambush began."
2
The symbol †, used in writing to mark footnotes or, historically, a person's death.
"A dagger next to his name indicated he had died before the book was published."
How to Use Dagger
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small stabbing knife, or the small cross-like symbol (†) used in writing.
Common pairings
a jewelled dagger
draw a dagger
looks that could kill (daggers)
Word Forms
daggered past tense, daggers plural, daggers plural, Daggers plural, daggers singular
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Etymology
From Old French dague, itself of uncertain and possibly Celtic origin; the word entered English in the 1380s.