Dapper

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈdæpÉ™(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -æpÉ™(r)

Origin

Middle English daper, from Middle Dutch dapper "stalwart, nimble", from Proto-Germanic *dapraz ‘heavy; bold’ (compare German tapfer "bold", Norwegian daper "saddened, dreary"), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeb- ‘thick, heavy’ (compare Tocharian A tpär ‘high’, Latvian dàbls ‘strong’, Serbo-Croatian дебео ‘fat’).

Full definition of dapper

Adjective

1. Neat, trim.
• 1892, Henry Seton Merriman, The Slave Of The Lamp:This entrance is through a little courtyard, in which is the stable and coach-house combined, where Madame Perinere, a lady who paints the magic word "Modes" beneath her name on the door-post of number seventeen, keeps the dapper little cart and pony which carry her bonnets to the farthest corner of Paris.
2. Stylishly dressed, neatly dressed, spiffy.
• 1917, P. G. Wodehouse, The Man With Two Left Feet:Going down the street, you would meet a typical commercial traveller, dapper and alert.

Derived terms

• Dapper Dan

Anagrams

• rapped