deft

Meanings

Adjective Satellite

skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
- "a deft waiter"
- "deft fingers massaged her face"

Adj

Quick and neat in action; skillful.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English defte, daft (“gentle”), from Old English dæfte (“mild, gentle, meek”), from Proto-West Germanic *daftī (“fitting, suitable”), derived from *dabaną (“to be suitable”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₂ebʰ- (“fitting, fit together”). Near cognates include Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐍉𐍆𐍃 (gadōfs, “suitable”), West Frisian deftich (“distinguished”), Dutch deftig (“distinguished”), German deftig (“coarse”). Further cognates include Russian добро (dobro, “wealth, good”) and Latin faber (“craftsman; skillful”).

Synonyms

dexterous, dextrous

Scrabble Score: 8

deft is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
deft is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
deft is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

deft is a valid Words With Friends word