Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Doughty

Dough′ty

(dou′ty̆)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Doughtier
(dou′tĭ-ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Doughtiest
.]
[OE.
duhti
,
dohti
,
douhti
, brave, valiant, fit, useful, AS.
dyhtig
; akin to G.
tüchtig
, Dan.
dygtig
, Sw.
dygdig
virtuous, and fr. AS.
dugan
to avail, be of use, be strong, akin to D.
deugen
, OHG.
tugan
, G.
taugen
, Icel. & Sw.
duga
, Dan.
due
, Goth.
dugan
, but of uncertain origin; cf. Skr.
duh
to milk, give milk, draw out, or Gr.
τύχη
fortune. √68.]
Able; strong; valiant; redoubtable;
as, a
doughty
hero
.
Sir Thopas wex [grew] a
doughty
swain.
Chaucer.
Doughty
families, hugging old musty quarrels to their hearts, buffet each other from generation to generation.
Motley.
☞ Now seldom used, except in irony or burlesque.

Webster 1828 Edition

Doughty

DOUGHTY

,
Adj.
Douty. [G., L. See Decent.] Brave; valiant; eminent; noble; illustrious; as a doughty hero. It is now seldom used except in irony or burlesque.

Definition 2024

doughty

doughty

English

Adjective

doughty ‎(comparative doughtier or more doughty, superlative doughtiest or most doughty)

  1. Brave; bold; courageous; valiant; intrepid; stouthearted; fearless.
    • 2014 November 14, Blake Bailey, “'Tennessee Williams,' by John Lahr [print version: Theatrical victory of art over life, International New York Times, 18 November 2014, p. 13]”, in The New York Times:
      [S]he [Edwina, mother of Tennessee Williams] was indeed Amanda [Wingfield, character in Williams' play The Glass Menagerie] in the flesh: a doughty chatterbox from Ohio who adopted the manner of a Southern belle and eschewed both drink and sex to the greatest extent possible.
  2. Hardy; strenuous; dauntless; resolute.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology

From Middle English doughty, from Old English dohtiġ, dyhtiġ ‎(“good, competent, valiant, doughty, strong”), from Proto-Germanic *duhtiz ‎(“note, usefulness”) + Proto-Germanic *-igaz ‎(suffix), equivalent to dought +‎ -y. Cognate with Scots douchty, douchtie ‎(“bold, valiant”), Dutch duchtig ‎(“severe, strict”), German tüchtig ‎(“efficient, capable, hard, competent, big”), Danish dygtig ‎(“virtuous, proficient”), Swedish duktig ‎(“good, efficient, clever, capable, smart”), Icelandic dygðugur ‎(“virtuous, stable”), Russian дюжий ‎(djužij, “sturdy”).

Pronunciation

Similar Results