Where does “dapper” come from?

dapper (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch dappar, from Proto-Germanic dapraz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeb- — thick, fat, heavy; fat, heavy, thick.

dapper (Middle Dutch): stalwart, nimble

Definitions

  1. stalwart, nimble

Ancestry of “dapper”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchdappar—
2Proto-Germanicdaprazstout; solid; heavy; bold
3Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeb-thick, fat, heavy; fat, heavy, thick

Words derived from “dapper”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeb- →Every word from Proto-Germanic dapraz →Every word from Old Dutch dappar →