*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dally

From Middle English dalien, from Anglo-Norman delaier. Doublet of delay.

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 ↗
verb

To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle. · To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet · To delay unnecessarily; to while away.

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

From Middle English dalien, from Anglo-Norman delaier. Doublet of delay.

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": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dalien",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dalien"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "delaier"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman delaier"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "delay"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of delay"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dalien",
      "dalien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "delaier",
      "delaier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "delay",
      "delay#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.",
        "To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet",
        "To delay unnecessarily; to while away."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "ambitransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "a4b54be13b2f6b0880f5d536c5cc27a0e1c83f0e5085d2fc3985c0c7c70e1495",
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in roping.

verb

To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal

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

Possibly from Spanish dale vuelta (“twist it around”) by law of Hobson-Jobson, from dale + la + vuelta.

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": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "dale la vuelta",
        "4": "dale vuelta",
        "5": "twist it around"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish dale vuelta (“twist it around”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dale vuelta",
      "dale la vuelta#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "law of Hobson-Jobson",
      "law of Hobson-Jobson"
    ],
    [
      "dale",
      "dale#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "la",
      "la#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "vuelta",
      "vuelta#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in roping."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal"
      ],
      "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 dally →

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-ZGFsbHk