dapper en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈdæpə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈdæpəɹ/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English daper (“pretty, neat”), from Middle Dutch dapper (“stalwart, nimble”), Old Dutch *dapar, from Proto-Germanic *dapraz (“stout; solid; heavy; bold”) (compare German tapfer "bold", Norwegian daper "saddened, dreary"), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeb- ‘thick, heavy’ (compare Tocharian A tpär ‘high’, Latvian dàbls ‘strong’, Serbo-Croatian дебео (dèbeo) ‘fat’).
Meanings
-
Neat, trim.
This entrance is through a little courtyard, in which is the stable and coach-house combined, where Madame Perinere, a lady who paints the magic word "Modes" beneath her name on the door-post of number seventeen, keeps the dapper little cart and pony which carry her bonnets to the farthest corner of Paris.
1892, Henry Seton Merriman, The Slave Of The Lamp:
-
Stylishly dressed, neatly dressed, spiffy.
Going down the street, you would meet a typical commercial traveller, dapper and alert.
1917, P. G. Wodehouse, The Man With Two Left Feet:“It is too bad that monsieur has been troubled,” said Tarzan, turning to the newspaper man. “I bid monsieur good evening,” and he bowed the dapper young man out of the room, and closed the door in his face.
1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Plot That Failed”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 71:
- Quick; little and active.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dapperer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| dapperest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
dapperling · Dapper Dan · dapperly · undapper · dapperness
Translations (49)
fr chic (stylishly or neatly dressed) · cs úhledný (stylishly or neatly dressed) · sv elegant (stylishly or neatly dressed) · pt elegante (stylishly or neatly dressed) · ru опря́тный (neat, trim) · nl elegant (stylishly or neatly dressed) · yue 端莊企理 /端庄企理 (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl relambido (neat, trim) · fi huoliteltu (neat, trim) · pl elegancki (stylishly or neatly dressed) · fr sémillant (neat, trim) · es atildado (neat, trim) · ru щеголеватый (stylishly or neatly dressed) · nl stijlvol (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl atilado (neat, trim) · cs nastrojený (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl bemposto (stylishly or neatly dressed) · ru элега́нтный (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gd spaideil (stylishly or neatly dressed) · bg енергичен (quick and active) · cmn 衣冠楚楚 (stylishly or neatly dressed) · pl szykowny (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl aroso (stylishly or neatly dressed) · cs elegantní (stylishly or neatly dressed) · es peripuesto (stylishly or neatly dressed) · es pulcro (neat, trim) · es gallardo (stylishly or neatly dressed) · ga pioctha (neat, trim) · ru аккура́тный (neat, trim) · nl chic (stylishly or neatly dressed) · bg докаран (stylishly or neatly dressed) · cmn 穿著考究 (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl desenxovallado (neat, trim) · es apuesto (stylishly or neatly dressed) · bg спретнат (neat, trim) · ja お洒落 (stylishly or neatly dressed) · ca elegant (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl aposto (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl farfantón (stylishly or neatly dressed) · cmn 整潔俐落 /整洁俐落 (neat, trim) · cs upravený (stylishly or neatly dressed) · bg елегантен (stylishly or neatly dressed) · bg подвижен (quick and active) · es elegante (stylishly or neatly dressed) · fr fringant (neat, trim) · it elegante (stylishly or neatly dressed) · fi huoliteltu (stylishly or neatly dressed) · ga pioctha (stylishly or neatly dressed) · gl nidio (neat, trim)