Where does “dally” come from?
Dally comes from Middle English dalyen, from Spanish la, from Old Spanish ela, from Latin dis- and ex, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- and lip-, with roots in Proto-Indo-European al-.
dally (English): To waste time in trivial activities, or in...
Definitions
- To waste time in trivial activities, or in...
Ancestry of “dally”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | dalien | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | delaier | to hesitate; to wait |
| 3 | Frankish | latjan | to hinder, delay |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | latjaną | to make slow, delay, hinder |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lataz | slow, sluggish; lazy; late |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lē(y)d- | — |
Words derived from “dally”