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Today it means

dapper

neat and trim in dress and appearance

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Where does the word "dapper" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch dapper, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "dapper" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch dapper, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Dapper’s story begins in Middle Dutch: dapper meant “brave.” Brave, strong; German 'tapfer', brave, is a cousin. It reached English by 1400s as dapper. Its meaning shifted to 'neat and smart'. Today, dapper means neat and trim in dress and appearance.

  1. Stage 1 · Middle Dutch · medieval dapper "brave", brave, strong; German 'tapfer', brave, is a cousin.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s dapper "neatly dressed", its meaning shifted to 'neat and smart'.

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