dally

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈdæli/ UK /ˈdæli/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to waste time idly or flirt casually

Don't dally; the train leaves in ten minutes.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to waste time idly or flirt... dawdle loiter linger flirt trifle procrastinate

Opposites

hurry hasten rush

Word family

Derived forms dalliancedallier

Simplified etymology

Dally entered English during the Middle Ages from a French word meaning “to chat.” It later supplied the rhyming element in the early 17th-century formation dilly-dally.

Etymology

From Middle English dalien ('to talk idly, flirt'), probably from Anglo-Norman dalier ('to amuse oneself'), of uncertain origin.

dalier Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# dally

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈdæli/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdæli/

## Meanings
1. to waste time idly or flirt casually

## Examples
- Don't dally; the train leaves in ten minutes.

## Synonyms
- dawdle
- loiter
- linger
- flirt
- trifle
- procrastinate

## Antonyms
- hurry
- hasten
- rush

## Derived Forms
- dalliance
- dallier

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dalier

## Etymology
From Middle English dalien ('to talk idly, flirt'), probably from Anglo-Norman dalier ('to amuse oneself'), of uncertain origin.

## AI Etymology
Dally is from Middle English dalien ('to talk idly, flirt'), probably from Anglo-Norman dalier ('to amuse oneself'), of uncertain origin. The immediate etymological form is Old French dalier. In present use as a verb, it means "to waste time idly or flirt casually", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Because the origin is uncertain, the safest account is descriptive: the attested senses can be explained, but the ultimate formation remains unresolved. Derived forms include dalliance and dallier.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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