deft








adjective, deft·er, deft·est.

  1. dexterous; nimble; skillful; clever: deft hands; a deft mechanic.

adjective

  1. quick and neat in movement; nimble; dexterous
adj.

Old English gedæfte “mild, gentle,” differentiated in Middle English into daft (q.v.) and this word, via sense of “apt, skillful, adept.” Cognate with Gothic gadaban “to be fit,” Old Norse dafna “to grow strong,” Dutch deftig “important, relevant.”

51 queries 0.570