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Added 10 October 2026

daze

/deɪz/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about daze at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally.
his mother's death left him in a daze
Confusion characterized by lack of clarity.

verb

To cause someone to lose clear vision, especially from intense light.
She was dazzled by the bright headlights
Overcome as with astonishment or disbelief.
The news stunned her

Origin

From Middle English, back-formation from dazed. Compare Old Norse dasask (“to become weary”), with reflexive suffix -sk, Swedish dasa (“lie idly”), and Icelandic dasask (“to make weary with cold”). Also compare Proto-Germanic *dusāną, to slumber. Alternatively from Middle Dutch dasen (“act silly”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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