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dowfadj.n. Origin: Probably of multiple origins. Probably partly a borrowing from early Scandinavian. Probably partly a borrowing from Dutch. Etymon: Dutch doof. Etymology: Probably partly < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic daufr deaf adj.: see note), and partly < the related Middle Dutch, Dutch doof useless, (of a person) foolish, (of metal, colour, etc.) without lustre, (of wood) dead, dry, (of a sound) not clear (all in Middle Dutch), (of the sky) overcast, (of grain nuts) empty, decayed (all 17th cent.), transferred uses of doof deaf adj.Compare also Dutch dof in the same transferred senses (1608; reduced form of doof ), which has now largely superseded doof in senses not directly related to hearing. With reference to sound perhaps compare further Dutch dof , †doef dull blow, thud (of imitative origin: see doof n.2 and compare duff n.6). In Old Icelandic the simplex daufr is apparently only attested in the sense ‘lacking the sense of hearing’, but compare the derivatives daufligr dull, dismal, daufleika deafness, sloth, daufingi sluggard, which suggest the existence of the transferred sense in early Scandinavian; compare also Swedish döver deaf, barren. Form history. The variety of modern Scots forms and pronunciations reflects the word's multiple origins. Forms indicating a diphthong, e.g. douf, dowf /dʌʊf/ reflect the early Scandinavian word (the Older Scots form dolf apparently showing a reverse spelling of ol for ow , by analogy with words with vocalized l ; compare e.g. rolp at roup v.1 Forms and nolt n.), while forms indicating a front rounded vowel or its reflex (e.g. doof, dufe, duif /dyf/, /dɪf/ (and also some, especially insular, instances of duff /dʌf/) reflect Middle Dutch doof . The south-western form doaf (also Irish English (northern) dofe) /dof/ may perhaps reflect a later reborrowing of the Dutch word; however, it is more likely that these forms, as also the form duff, show the influence of forms of dough n. (compare forms at that entry) and related words (compare duff n.1, duff n.3, duff n.4). The form duff in sense B. 2 may also have been influenced by Dutch dof , †doef (see above), and imitative motivation may be an additional factor in respect of this sense. Notes on specific senses. With sense A. 1 compare deaf adj. 3. With sense A. 3 perhaps compare earlier deaf adj. 5. With sense A. 6 compare earlier deaf adj. 6. Scottish, Irish English, and English regional ( northern). A. adj.the world > action or operation > inaction > disinclination to act or listlessness > [adjective] > lacking vigour or energy a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil (1957) iii. iv. 97 Dolf wolx thar spretis. 1575 J. Rolland i. f. 8 Thy dolf hart for dredour ay deuaillis. ?a1591 King James VI & I (1955) I. 128 The Hen-bane blacke, and Ches-bow als, That cold-ryfe doth vs keepe, Doufe, yeuking flesh, and shuddring colde, And makes vs euer sleepe. 1721 A. Ramsay x How dowf looks gentry with an empty purse! 1795 Mar. 223 Now grown mauchless, dowf and sweer aye To look near his farm or wark. 1814 W. Scott II. xx. 314 The lad can sometimes be as dowff as a sexagenary like myself. View more context for this quotation 1895 ‘S. Tytler’ viii. Her guests were compelled to come to the conclusion that the fine lady had been attacked by the vapours, so ‘dowf’ was she in her stateliness. 1927 E. S. Rae 14 Lowsed fae the lanely ploo owre gloamin' rigs, A pair o' dowf broons jogs the hameward wye. 1985 A. Hutchison tr. Catullus in 42 61 Her man..thinks it's a richt gweed lauch. Douf eejit. 1999 D. Purves tr. A. Chekhov (SCOTS) iv ‘Thrie batteries ir leavin the-day bi road an thrie mair the-morn—syne the toun wul be fair deid.’ ‘Ay, an gey dowf, tae.’ 2000 M. Fitt ii. 9 Citizens visibly needit alcohol on the wey in tae lown their nerves an make dowf their senses. 1721 A. Ramsay I. 19 Now a' our Gamesters may sit dowff, Wi' Hearts like Lead. 1776 1 Aug. 177 They're douff and dowie at the best. 1796 A. Wilson 3 The College now, to Rab grew douff and dull. 1843 G. W. Gillespie 108 For I am douf, and sad, and wae To leave the land sae lang I fondly cherish'd mony a day. 1847 in F. Sheldon 217 Lord Dacre fain would see the bride He sought her bower alone; And dowf and blunkit grew his looks, When Lady Jean was gone. 1887 J. Service 18 Of a' the bodies whose chief pleasure in life seems to be to rant and howl and ring bells, and mak the first the dowffest day in a' the week, surely the Antiburghers are the drollest. 1913 H. P. Cameron tr. Thomas à Kempis i. xi. 15 Whan a bit mishanter fa's, we're owre sune dowf, an' retour tae the warl' for consolement. 1991 R. C. Saunders in T. Hubbard 29 Och, God, sae dowf an langsum The days gang by for me! 2013 (Nexis) 6 Dec. (Features section) 20 Scabbit rigs, cauldrife an dowf, the bleestert trees wytin fingers peyntin tae a God that wisna takin tent. the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > non-resonance > [adjective] 1768 A. Ross i. 4 Your rough spun ware Sounds but right douff[printed douft] an' fowsome to my ear. 1790 D. Morison 7 Till douf the twall-hours bell crys clink, Then aff a' wallop in a wink. 1818 Dec. 503/2 A' the kye..gied a dowf an' eerisome crune. 1864 W. D. Latto ix. 84 The douff dull soond caused by the energetic steekin' o' the Beuk. 1988 R. Vettese 29 Och, I canna see, winnocks greetin wi yoam, hear nae soond but yon dowf bell. the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > improbability, unlikeliness > [adjective] > unconvincing 1786 R. Burns 203 Her dowf excuses pat me mad. 1839 W. McDowall 220 Nae hostin' now an' dowf excuse. 1860 J. Young 166 Tae cajole out ae dowff excuse. 1811 A. Scott (new ed.) 133 And on the douf days, whan loud hurricanes blaw. 1813 J. Hogg i. 71 The first leet night, quhan the new moon set, Quhan all was douffe and mirk, We saddled ouir naigis wi' the moon-fern leif, And rode fra Kilmerrin kirk. 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. at Dowf Dull to the eye, thick; as, ‘a dowf day’; a hazy day; a phrase used by old people, Loth. 1983 A. Scott in Mar. 25 A winter swan whas wings made siller wind I the iron air o a dowf December. 1988 R. Vettese 58 In dowf season, dowie, deid still, abuin frozen braith, I hear it: the vieve cry nae daith-grupp thraws. 6. the world > existence and causation > creation > productiveness > unproductiveness > [adjective] 1824 J. Mactaggart 174 The earth of a garden is ‘doaf’ when, though it seems fat, nothing will grow on it but weeds. 1896 P. H. Hunter (new ed.) xix. 172 It's unco dowf land, Happergaw. I couldna mak a livin oot o't. 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. at Dowf Wanting the kernel or substance; a douf nit, a rotten nut. 1924 14 Jan. 9/5 Ulsterisms... Douf, dried-up or decayed. a1978 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ (1994) II. 1234 Ill-tethed like you, an' prone to tellyevies, Midst men like dowf nits or like fozie neeps, My trauchled hert, set free, to Eden flies. B. n.the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun] the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > foolish person, fool > [noun] the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > lout, oaf, booby > [noun] 1722 A. Ramsay iii. 25 Then let the Doof delight in drudging; What Cause have we to tent his grudging? a1779 D. Graham (1883) II. 9 Your father was a fool for fashing wi' him, auld slavery dufe. 1788 J. Macaulay 151 See how he gaunts an' rakes his een, As if he gat nae sleep thestreen; A bigger doof was never seen. 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. Dufe,..a soft silly fellow, S[cotia] O[ccidentalis]. the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > non-resonance > [noun] > non-resonant impact sound > soft impact 1818 J. Hogg I. vii. 135 They had gotten some sair doofs—They had been terribly paikit and daddit wi' something. 1821 J. Hogg (ed. 2) II. 41 I had seendil watherit a selwyn raddour, but boddin that I wad coup, that I muchtna gie a dooffe, I hurklit litherlye down, and craup forret alang on myne looffiss and myne schynes. 1834 187 I hear the douf o' Geordie Barnet's drum beatin' to airms. 1846 Aug. 230/2 If ye pit saut in ma mooth, I'll hit ye a duff in the muns! 1850 9 Apr. But mak a flail they'll gart play dowf Upo' your biggin'. 1890 1 160 He insisted that he had often..heard the ‘douf, douf’ of the flails as they [sc. the fairies] struck the sheaf on the earthen floor. 1923 G. Watson 118 Duiff, 1. A blow with a softish substance, as peat. 2. A dull- or hollow-sounding blow. 1953 M. Traynor 90/2 Duff, a dull, heavy blow. 2008 D. C. Purdie 31 The rain's dribbling dowf on the ruif o the howff, Ootbye, the biggin site's glabber. Compoundsa1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil (1959) ix. ii. 50 The dolf hartit Troianys. Derivatives a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil (1960) xi. xiv. 21 Huge dolfnes and schaymful cowardice. 1818 J. Hogg II. 38 There was a kind o' doufness and mellancholly in his looks. 1837 J. Baillie in Ld. Northampton 342 But Willie now has cross'd the main, And he has been o'erlang awa'; Ah, would he were returned again To drive the doufness frae us a'! 1891 G. Wallace in D. H. Edwards 14th Ser. 356 He, through fondness, bashfu' grows, She mistakes love's silent vows For doufness. 1999 D. Purves tr. A. Chekhov (SCOTS) i A mukkil blatter is on its road for ti freshen us up..an it's gaun ti blaw awa aw this idleset an dowfness, an prejudice agin wark. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). dowfv.Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymons: dowf adj.; dowf n. Etymology: Partly (in sense 1) < dowf adj., and partly (in sense 2) < dowf n. With sense 2 perhaps compare Dutch regional (Flemish) doffen to strike (19th cent. or earlier); compare later duff v.4 Scottish. Now rare. the world > action or operation > inaction > disinclination to act or listlessness > be listless or lethargic [verb (intransitive)] > become 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. Douf, to become dull. To douf and stupe, to be in a state of languor and partial stupor. 1838 J. Struthers 77 Auld age douffs down the spirit. 2. transitive. Cf. dowf n. 2. the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > strike with specific degree of force [verb (transitive)] > strike heavily > with dull sound 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. Dufe, to give a blow with a softish substance, Clydes., Loth., Roxb.; synon. Baff. 1865 W. H. L. Tester 175 The clods are dowfin' doo'some on her little coffin lid. 1873 J. Wood 78 She doofs and birses Fluter doon, Wha rows an' whumles i' the poke. 1925 E. C. Smith 10 The Auld Cross—sair duifft an neiteet an nickeet wui Teime an the weather. 2015 M. Fitt tr. ‘D. Walliams’ iv. 56 Mither left the room, graundly doofin the door ahint her shut. society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > [verb (transitive)] > play ball in specific way 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. Douff, to strike forcibly, as Ye've douff't your ba' o'er the dike. You have driven your ball over the wall. 1898 J. Baillie 64 Others were trying for ‘skinned ba's doufed’. They had a ball with a long string attached, which was thrown up until it rested beside another ball lying in the rhone; then with a sharp twitch they perhaps chanced to bring down the doufed ball. 1906 C. B. Gunn 65 Several players struggled after the one ball whose aim was to ‘dowf’ it upon the leads. Derivatives 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. 353/2 Duffingbout, a thumping or beating. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  adj.n.a1522v.1825 |
