MONDAY, MARCH 23

Dally

[DAL-ee]Part of speech: verb

Origin: old french, 15th century

Act or move slowly.
Have a casual romantic liaison with.

Examples of Dally in a sentence

I was enjoying the spring weather so much that I dallied on my way back to the office.
He’s not looking for a serious relationship, but he has been known to dally with a new romance.

About Dally

Here’s a handy little verb with two different definitions. You probably won’t dally if you’re going to dally with someone. If you’re dallying (having a casual romantic relationship), there’s not a long courtship, so you won’t dally (delay) going on a few dates.

Did you Know?

In Old French, “dailer” meant to chat. As the word progressed into English it adopted the definition of moving slowly — or to have a romantic entanglement. There is a connecting thread here. You might waste time by having a leisurely chat, and that conversation could lead to romance — all forms of dallying.