noun
Dave
dayv
noun
1
A common short form of the male given name David.
"Everyone at the office just calls him Dave instead of David."
verb
1
An archaic or dialectal word meaning to soothe, calm, or ease pain.
"The old remedy was said to dave the fever by morning."
How to Use Dave
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsually just the everyday nickname for someone named David; rarely, an old word for calming or easing pain.
Word Forms
daved past tense, daves singular
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Etymology
As a name, a shortened, informal form of David. The archaic verb sense comes from Middle English "deven," related to Old English "dēafian" ("to grow deaf") and Old Norse "deyfa" ("to numb, soothe"), the same root that gives us "deafen."