*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of daw

From Middle English dawe, from Old English *dāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *dāhwā. Cognate with German Dahle, Dohle, dialectal Tach.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A western jackdaw, Coloeus monedula, a passerine bird in the crow family (Corvidae), more commonly called jackdaw. · An idiot, a simpleton; fool.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dawe, from Old English *dāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *dāhwā. Cognate with German Dahle, Dohle, dialectal Tach.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentiondaweenm
  • Inherited-form mention*dāweang
  • Inherited-form mention*dāhwāgmw-pro
  • Cognate mentionDahlede
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dawe",
        "id": "jackdaw"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"daw\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"jackdaw\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"daw\" id=\"English:_jackdaw\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dawe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dawe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*dāwe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *dāwe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*dāhwā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *dāhwā"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Dahle"
      },
      "expansion": "German Dahle"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dawe",
        "id": "jackdaw"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dawe",
      "dawe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dāwe",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/dawe"
    ],
    [
      "*dāhwā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/dāhwā"
    ],
    [
      "Dahle",
      "Dahle#German"
    ],
    [
      "Dohle",
      "Dohle#German"
    ],
    [
      "Tach",
      "Tach#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A western jackdaw, Coloeus monedula, a passerine bird in the crow family (Corvidae), more commonly called jackdaw.",
        "An idiot, a simpleton; fool."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "36f2954d8400d43606c08c73e65f0ae258e2e1955fe3f3edf61943961db2746d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ce79f37e7b12c07e914291202a5489db435ec4b4a0023c1309cdce200d8c22bc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 387580
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To dawn. · To wake (someone) up. · To daunt; to terrify.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dawen, from Old English dagian (“to dawn”), from Proto-West Germanic *dagēn, from Proto-Germanic *dagāną (“to become day, dawn”), from *dagaz (“day”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”). More at day, dawn.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dawen",
        "id": "dawn"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"daw\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"dawn\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"daw\" id=\"English:_dawn\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dawen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dawen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dagian",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to dawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dagian (“to dawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*dagēn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *dagēn"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*dagāną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to become day, dawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *dagāną (“to become day, dawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰegʷʰ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to burn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dawen",
        "id": "dawn"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dawen",
      "dawen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dagian",
      "dagian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dagēn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/dagēn"
    ],
    [
      "*dagāną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dagāną"
    ],
    [
      "*dagaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dagaz"
    ],
    [
      "*dʰegʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰegʷʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "day",
      "day"
    ],
    [
      "dawn",
      "dawn"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To dawn.",
        "To wake (someone) up.",
        "To daunt; to terrify."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for daw →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGF3