*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dawk

Ultimately from Old English dalc (“pin”). More at dalk.

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 hollow or crack in timber.

verb

To drive a sharp instrument into; incise with a jerk; puncture. · To cut or mark with an incision; gash. · To dig up weeds.

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

Ultimately from Old English dalc (“pin”). More at dalk.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiondalcang
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dalc",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pin"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dalc (“pin”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dalc",
      "dalc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "dalk",
      "dalk#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A hollow or crack in timber."
      ],
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      "pos": "verb",
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        "To drive a sharp instrument into; incise with a jerk; puncture.",
        "To cut or mark with an incision; gash.",
        "To dig up weeds."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal",
        "transitive"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A person who advocates neither an aggressive nor a conciliatory political attitude (especially in foreign policy).

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

Blend of dove + hawk. Coined by American author Donald S. Zagoria in 1967 (see quotation).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Blend componentdoveen
  • Blend componenthawken
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dove",
        "3": "hawk"
      },
      "expansion": "Blend of dove + hawk"
    },
    {
      "name": "coinage",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Q27922216",
        "nobycat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Coined by American author Donald S. Zagoria"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
    [
      "hawk",
      "hawk#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A person who advocates neither an aggressive nor a conciliatory political attitude (especially in foreign policy)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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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 dawk →

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-ZGF3aw